What Is Courage?
At the 1988 Calgary Olympics there was a guy representing the UK called Edward Edwards. Mr. Edwards was better known worldwide as Eddie The Eagle and he was the UK’s first, and to date, only Olympic Ski-jumper.
Eddie had a chin that you could spear fish with, wore glasses that had the people working on the Hubble telescope drooling with envy and wasn’t exactly the best looking guy to ever grace planet earth either.
His performance was simply stunning though, but unfortunately for Eddie, not in a good way. Against all the odds he defied expectations and didn’t kill himself on his first jump. That’s about all you can say though.
He didn’t so much launch off the slope as flop off it finishing a distant last in both the 70 and 90m jumps. After the event the organizers had to toughen up qualifying for future Olympics to stop people killing themselves attempting to “Do an Eddie’ chasing fame and fortune.
A couple of years after Edwards hit the headlines I was skiing in Megeve, France. I was chatting with our instructor one day and we got talking about Eddie. It came to light that this guy had trained him and that Eddie was actually a brilliant skier, especially on moguls. I said something along the lines of “Wow, that guy was so brave to take up jumping” The instructor looked at me blankly for a moment and then said something like “No he wasn’t, because he didn’t see any danger, it was just a big joke to him.”
About two years prior to Eddie’s moment of glory I was in a nightclub with a friend. I was approached by some youths one of whom advised me he didn’t like the look of my face and intended removing it with his boot after the club closed. I did a quick calculation and deduced that as there were about eight of these guys and only me and two equally wimpy buddies, I was screwed.
I approached one of my friends and told him what had happened. I suggested he leave on his own because there was no need for him to take a beating too. He did as I suggested and ran off. I was somewhat perplexed because even though it made perfect sense, I didn’t really expect him to leg it with quite so much alacrity. My other friend and I stood our drunken ground and thankfully nothing happened and we made it home alive.
A year or two after enthusiastically demonstrating his discretion is the better part of valor philosophy, I was on holiday with my quick heeled friend. We were walking along a cliff top on the Spanish island of Majorca when he suddenly stopped in front of me. He removed his wristwatch and handed it to me saying, “Hold on to that for a minute” He then jumped about 30 feet into the crashing waves below.
I stood there open-mouthed waiting for him to bob back up into sight and fearing the worst. He hadn’t been smashed to pieces on the rocks below as I suspected and he did indeed reappear. He then shouted me to follow him in. “I’d love to” I said, “But I have the watches to look after”
The fact is I’d rather have taken on the guys in the nightclub armed only with a pound of fresh Cod and a pot of yogurt than jump to a certain watery grave that I was sure was awaiting me. In other words, I was a complete wuss.
I had already planned to write a post similar to this prior to hearing about the remarkable story of the US Airways plane landing on the Hudson. I’m going to be somewhat controversial here and ask you this:
Was the pilot really as courageous as has been suggested many times? Or was he just very, very good at his job?
Pilots are highly trained and subjected to rigorous and intensive testing before they’re allowed to pilot a commercial aircraft. The kind of testing designed to ensure that they respond automatically in such circumstances with the correct procedure. It seems to me that this incident vindicates that training.
Ernest Hemingway once said, “Courage is grace under fire”
By that definition the brilliantly named Captain Chesley Sullenberger III (who I keep wanting to call Captain Cheeseburger) was undoubtedly courageous. But it’s not a definition I necessarily agree with.
Isn’t courage continuing to do something that frightens you to death even when there is an opportunity to back out?
Surely it takes more courage to set up your own business when you’re scared that you won’t be able to make the mortgage payments? Or to walk out on an abusive husband and take your kids with you when you have no money or nowhere to go? And what about agreeing to make a presentation to your peers when just the thought of it makes you feel physically sick, a bit like what Dean Hunt has just agreed to do here?
All of the above take people way out of their comfort zone into their discomfort zone, and that to my mind is what being brave is all about.
Captain Sullenberger is undoubtedly a hero to many people and rightly so, but I’m not sure the events on the Hudson tell us anything about how brave a person he is.
I’d love to hear your take on what you think defines true courage, especially if you disagree with me.
On Monday I’m putting myself on the line and online. At 4.00pm Eastern Time (that’s 9.00pm in the UK) I’m doing a live online coaching thingy. I say thingy because I’ve no idea what it’ll be. I tried a dummy run this week and a few people from Twitter joined me for a chat.
Basically I’m going to sit on front of my webcam and stream it live. You can ask me questions on pretty much anything you want about coaching, NLP and self-development just by typing them in.
It should be a bit of fun watching me squirm when I don’t know the answers and it’s free, so what have you got to lose?
Simply login here and let’s chat.
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Comment by Jay on 16 January 2009:
Hmm. I have to agree that while I do think he deserves hero status, that he would have not been able to achieve this feat without the rigorous training. However, did his training prepare him to deal with life or death situations like this? I think his training in ignoring or dealing with fear was a bigger component. I will be there Monday!
Jays last blog post..10 Bloggers I Aspire to Become When I Grow Up
Comment by James Chartrand – Men with Pens on 16 January 2009:
First!
Great post, Tim. I’ve been sitting here wondering all day about this distinction of what makes a hero a hero, what’s brave and courageous, etc etc.
The pilot did something fantastic. Awesome. I cheered. But if he’s a hero for landing a plane safely, what does that make all the other pilots out there? What would they do if they had a problem with their plane? Landing the plane as best they can in an emergency isn’t heroism – it is their JOB.
Say the pilot had crashed despite crazy insane efforts to save the plane and everyone died. Would he be a hero? Or not a hero because he didn’t make it?
Firefighter, however, I would say are always heros – because they have a choice to save themselves. Yet they willingly volunteer to save other people knowing they could die. To me, that’s a hero.
I dunno. Tough questions. Lots of thoughts and self-examination of definitions today. Good post.
James Chartrand – Men with Penss last blog post..Do You Feed Your Muse Well?
Comment by Eric V. on 16 January 2009:
I have to disagree slightly. You sort of state that it’s not really courage since this is what they have been trained to do. But training just makes certain you have the tools to perform the act. It’s courage to actually use them in the situation and not back down or revert to your natural reaction.
Soldiers are trained to fight, even against odds. But to actually do it is courage.
He could have frozen up as this situation would definitely not be his comfort zone, and the result could have been horrific, but he had the courage to push aside instinct and allow his training to guide him.
Just my opinion.
Comment by Davina on 16 January 2009:
Hey Tim. I’d have to agree with your definition. By doing something that causes fear and continuing to do it even though you CAN back out is courageous. It’s more powerful than being “forced” to do something fearful because you are choosing courage.
Monday, Monday…. ;-)
Davinas last blog post..Self Help Me
Comment by ChasingSanity.com on 16 January 2009:
Courage is awakening to the Now, realizing the fragility of it all, and not succumbing to the impulse of the subconscious to turn, run, and hide in the comfort of distraction.
ChasingSanity.coms last blog post..Coffee – YOUR Vehicle to Speaking with Spirits
Comment by Mark Silver on 16 January 2009:
I actually disagree, and agree with Eric- I think he was courageous. I worked as a paramedic, not as a firefighter, and yet ended up in a number of hazardous situations at different times. My training took me through.
But, I can tell you, that there was always the opportunity to get distracted by the danger. To do something else. To freeze up. To freak out. To let my partner do the hard work, and for me to do the minimal, or to hide.
Dying, or getting hurt, or falling apart, is sometimes the easier option.
Don’t forget that the core word of courageous is “coeur” – “heart.” That pilot had a heart-full of presence to bring his full expertise, judgement, skill, and caring and love to bring that aircraft in safely.
He could’ve freaked out, given up, and died a horrible death with everyone else. But he didn’t. He stayed present. That takes courage.
Mark Silvers last blog post..Back Where We Belong
Comment by Bamboo Forest – PunIntended on 17 January 2009:
I don’t think you were a complete wuss for not following in the foot steps of your friend who jumped from the cliff into the water.
Had you done what he did… then I would say you were a wuss. Giving into pressure often renders us cowards, not the other way around.
You opted not to take a risk that could either kill you or maim you for life. It was courage to stay on dry land. Jumping in would have been a form of weakness because you would be going against your better judgment just to demonstrate bravery and that’s not courage. That is, indeed… a form of weakness.
Your objection to the pilot being a hero is an interesting one. Though, I’m not sure you’re taking every factor into account.
First of all, successful landings on water are VERY RARE. So, citing his training is pretty meaningless when you consider what he accomplished almost never happens regardless of how much the pilot is trained.
That being said… I’m honestly not sure my final take on it because your point is well thought out. I would say, though, maybe he is a hero because his ability to intensely concentrate during the moment of truth could be a byproduct of all kinds of efforts he has made in his life. Spiritual growth and otherwise.
That may sound far fetched, but who knows…
Suffice it to say, with the accuracy he had to maintain in order to ensure the plane landed like it did on water, was nothing short of an athletic feat of monumental proportions.
Bamboo Forest – PunIntendeds last blog post..Chewing Gum: The Great Disappointment
Comment by Bamboo Forest – PunIntended on 17 January 2009:
Mark Silver said it better than I.
Bamboo Forest – PunIntendeds last blog post..Chewing Gum: The Great Disappointment
Comment by Evelyn Lim on 17 January 2009:
Courage is the ability to confront fear. Did the pilot confront fear and triumph over it? Yes. Even though he was doing his job.
I’m inclined to celebrating!! A new hero has been born!!!
Evelyn Lims last blog post..Mouths Are Flapping
Comment by Evan on 17 January 2009:
I’d forgotten about Eddie the Eagle. Thanks for the reminder – he humanised the Olympics I think.
Courage I guess can include skill. I guess at a certain level of skill courage is no longer required for more usual or more easy situations. I guess I think that courage involves putting ourselves on the line in some way.
Evans last blog post..After Therapy, Style
Comment by Bill Skrips on 17 January 2009:
As best I can see, courage (please note the lower case “c”)is best defined by the individual and the setting and not by the general public.
For the most part, I beleive it to be a private act (in the pilot’s case, there was no helping it: his actions were public-therefore up for immediate comment/criticism/praise whether he wanted them to be or not).
This courage is an act in which each individual must have their own yardstick. For some of us, great courage may be the act of leaving the house in the morning-no cause for general loud applause, but a HUGE victory for an agoraphobic.
Didn’t Wilhelm Reich speak about this (hope I’m not screwing up with my bad memory here-it’s been years since I read that book) in “The Murder of Christ”-that the “applause” that Christ received made him into a “superman” and thereafter made him hateable and got him crucified because he could not live up to his own legend(that is, the legend that was fabricated for him)?
Another simile (and a little closer to personal experience) is having a show of artwork in a gallery-just because a few people back you up and give you a show doesn’t mean that you’ve declared yourself the next Michelangelo-but you couldn’t tell from all the detractors who accuse you of calling yourself a genius just for publically displaying yer work…
Guess the lesson here is to make up your own mind on what you call courage and don’t let the press/the public define it for you.
Comment by Bill Skrips on 17 January 2009:
One more thing, had to Google Edward Edwards after your visual description. He’s a plasterer today. Once out of the limelight, don’t we all blend so perfectly into the crowd?
Comment by Diana on 17 January 2009:
Doh! Damn, I won’t be home to watch the stream! :( I was wondering when you would schedule one.
As far as the courage thing goes, I think you’re absolutely right, but we usually tend to see it from our point of view. If it’s something we wold have the guts to do, for us the person who does it is brave. And many of us have trouble thinking outside ourselves.
Same goes the other way around. I might do something that is a huge step for me while it seems completely meaningless to others.
In the media everyone uses their perspective of the event. And also people love “heroes”.
Dianas last blog post..Attitude
Comment by Anja Merret on 17 January 2009:
Live online coaching. Great idea!
Anja Merrets last blog post..Elizabethan theatre and modern Chinese art – great day out in London
Comment by James Chartrand – Men with Pens on 17 January 2009:
@ Mark – Bah. You write thoughtful, well-presented comments like that (with French words!) and now I find myself agreeing with you.
Yes. I agree. And I’m grumbling – I had it all figured out! Damn!
James Chartrand – Men with Penss last blog post..The Unlimited Freelancer: Unleash Your Full Potential
Comment by Tim Brownson on 17 January 2009:
This is so funny, so cool and such a great demo of why I know NOTHING!
When I published this post I thought it was the worst one I’d written in months. I also thought few people would offer an opinion and I almost closed comments to avoid any undue embarrassment to myself!
Then I come here this morning and see some of the best comments ever (and I’ve had some great ones, especially the Steve Pavlina thread http://www.adaringadventure.com/blog/wordpress/reviews-previews/self-development-for-smart-people/) and lots of great debate, which I love.
Rather than keep repeating myself I’m going to respond en masse, something I rarely do.
I’m eagerly waiting to hear what Mike Panebianco who often comments here has to say. Mike is a pilot (Captain) for South West Airlines and I have spoken to him several times about the intensity of the training he under-go’s. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure he’s flying this weekend, but hopefully he’ll get time to respond. He’s also a self-defense expert and black belt at martial arts and has that kind of training to bring to the party.
I must say to begin with, I do think the Captain is a hero. Re-reading I obviously didn’t make that clear and I apologize.
My question was or should have been, is he necessarily a courageous hero?
Mark makes some brilliant points about the ability for people to crumble under extreme pressure and that got me thinking more deeply about this. I’m still not sure I fully agree with him though.
I have read numerous reports about people in conflict situations when they’ve said afterward that their training simply kicked in and they responded accordingly almost on auto-pilot (no pun intended) and couldn’t remember any fear whatsoever.
The military use this to their advantage by constantly throwing people into extreme conflict situations. Then when the shit does come down, they respond automatically at an unconscious level. And that is the key I think, responding at an unconscious level.
There is a brilliant book called ‘The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker that explains this in more detail.
de Becker talks about somebody being attacked by a big dog. The first time their hear rate is up around 175 where neurological functions break down and responding becomes basic fight or flight, and sometimes not even that. The second time it is somewhat lower and after multiple times they are cool, calm and collected and can deal with the dog. Now being attacked is well inside the persons comfort zone.
Out CZ isn’t necessarily comfortable, it’s just what we know and that is what training aims to establish.
There was a fascinating part where he explained why so many people fail to call the emergency services when under attack in their own home and with a cellphone in their hand. The answer was under that kind of pressure they often forget to hit ’send’ after pressing 911. He even suggests people should practice doing this, just in case!
The thing is a lot of this takes place at an unconscious level and maybe that is the key. If training kicks in and no conscious thought of the consequences arise, then maybe it’s not really courage per se. But if training kicks in and the person is running through the consequences then there is an element of bravery. I’m really not sure although I still think that the inability to back out of a situation is relevant.
Maybe Bill is right, maybe there is no definition other than that which we attach to it at a personal level, a bit like success maybe?
The one thing we can all agree on is the guy did a brilliant job and is worthy of all the praise he is getting.
Comment by James Chartrand – Men with Pens on 17 January 2009:
This has a lot to do with other situations as well. Take battered women, for example.
People exclaim, “How can she stay there with him!?! Why does she put up with that?!”
Various other factors and emotional needs come into play, but one easy answer is, she doesn’t see it as a big shocking deal anymore. Just another day.
James Chartrand – Men with Penss last blog post..The Unlimited Freelancer: Unleash Your Full Potential
Comment by Tim Brownson on 17 January 2009:
@ James – Agreed on that and that is an example of where a comfort zone is anything but comfortable.
Comment by Kathy R on 17 January 2009:
Anyone who regularly and voluntarily gets behind the controls of a large aircraft and assumes responsibility for the lives of the people on board is courageous, in my book. But (hopefully) they do this because they *love* to do it, so courage probably plays less of a role for them then it would for wusses like the rest of us.
The thing about this story that leads me most to think that this pilot *was* courageous was that he walked the aisles twice to make sure that no one was left behind, even though the plane was sinking in icy water, and – who knows – could have exploded in flames at any minute. (Maybe that’s part of pilot training too – ?) I think this man was both good at his job AND courageous. And damn lucky. Imagine if it had been nighttime, or if there didn’t happen to be a river nearby…
Comment by Jen Waller on 17 January 2009:
What a thought provoking post. As I read everyone’s comments the thing that struck me was that everyone seems to be agreed that the pilots performed a remarkable act in extreme circumstances. Their actions saving many lives both on the plane itself and on the ground by their choice and skill of landing where they did.
This all depends on how you define courage and your post had me reaching for the dictionary to find another definition of courage. :) The bit that stood out to me was the phrase “the ability to control fear when facing danger or pain.”
I suspect (and only the pilots will now for sure) that their training and previous experience gave them the “how” of controlling any fear. I think its fairly safe to say that it also gave them the knowledge of how much danger they were facing.
Personally, the question I’m more interested in is not so much if they were courageous because at the end of the day that’s just a label. It’s the “how” they did what they did that I think is a far more interesting and something those of us that don’t happen to regularly fly planes could also learn something from.
Comment by James Chartrand – Men with Pens on 17 January 2009:
@ Kathy – Yeah, I agree. The double-check and staying last was, to me, both courageous and heroic. He could’ve left at that point, but he didn’t. He put his life on the line for others after landing.
@ Jen – You mention, “It’s fairly safe to say that it also gave them the knowledge of how much danger they were facing.”
It’s often said that we fear what we don’t understand. Perhaps people in these jobs/positions/roles face them better because they DO know and understand through training, etc.
Comment by Ali Hale on 17 January 2009:
I wonder whether true “courage” needs to involve some level of real decision. I think the pilot was indeed a hero — but he didn’t really have much choice, did he? He had to do his very best to get the plane down with everyone alive (including himself) and it’s a testament to his skill, training and clear-headedness that he managed it.
But like Tim and others, I’m not sure “courage” is quite the right word. I think courage is going against your fear to take action when it would be easy sit back and do nothing.
Ali
Comment by Ruth on 18 January 2009:
I’m going to have to go with most of the other commenters and say that…at the least, he may have been very courageous.
It’s possible that when the catastrophe happened, his brain switched over into automatic mode and landed the plane. In which case, he’s certainly a hero but may not have had to exercise courage. Once nearly got hit by a truck that must not have seen me…I remember it, but everything was automatic. It lasted 5 seconds.
I think it takes a lot of courage if you’re in a situation where you’re not on autopilot and have to combat thoughts like “Omigod, we’re going to crash.” Staying focused instead of letting them get to you seems like a courageous act to me.
And for the record, jumping off the cliff not so courageous. I think courage requires that you believe that something about this world (even something small) will be better if you take this action you really don’t want to take. Jumping off the cliff is fun (?), but doesn’t make a difference. A pilot, soldier, EMT, etc, is courageous when they take risks to make a difference. As is a person who leaves an abusive relationship or one who just moves out of their parents’ house.
Ruths last blog post..Do You Really Want to Do Nothing?
Comment by Steve Errey – The Confidence Guy on 18 January 2009:
Back in my 20’s I went to a movie premiere in London for a Tim Robbins movie called ‘Cradle Will Rock’. The film sank without trace but it was about a guy who pushes forwards with the production of a play in 1930’s New York against huge pressure and incredible odds. He succeeds and changes lives in the process – simply because it mattered to him.
I always remember a woman who was sitting in front of me in the audience who stunned me when during the Q&A she asked Tim, “Do you think the world needs more heroes?“.
I hadn’t thought of the character as a hero, but Elizabeth (the woman, who I was so impressed by that I flirted with her at the after party and ended up dating) changed my definition of what a hero is.
I agree that courage is to “do something that frightens you to death even when there is an opportunity to back out”, but a hero is someone who focuses that ’something’ on what truly matters to them.
Comment by LifeMadeGreat | Juliet on 18 January 2009:
Hi
I agree, courage is what it takes to move past one’s comfort zone. So, courage depends on the person and their experiences.
Perhaps then, we can only judge our own courageousness and not that of others. We can’t others on a “brave” pedestal without hearing the full story i.e. hearing about their fears.
This is a very interesting thought. Thank you.
Juliet
LifeMadeGreat | Juliets last blog post..What Are You Thirsting For?
Comment by Michael Panebianco on 18 January 2009:
Tim,
This is indeed a very interesting post. I have read, and re-read all of the commenters positions, and have no disagreement with any of them.
My Take,
You in the Bar; Insurmountable odds, no real win available, I would have called the cops and had them escort me out, or gone section8 drooling and screaming and had the bouncers escort me out (Im sure you could have paid them). You on the cliff, also my first inclination to avoid the jump unless that cliff had been thoroughly tested and found safe to dive by some sort of Cliff Divers Association.(joke)
Im a big chicken, thats why I train so much.
Sully=Hero. Here is why. We train for just about everything that you can replicate in simulators. The rest is theoretical. Unfortunately, as good as the sims are, they cannot replicate all of the possibilities of ditching. Also, we cannot practice them in a real airplane for obvious reasons. The variables that have resulted in tremendous failure rates for ditching include, but are not limited to; swell, waves, current, wind, turbulence, and aircraft contact factors.
What I mean by that is simply this, the simulators are not set up to give us perspective on swell size, current, individual waves, and points of contact for those waves. If one physical part of the aircraft were to contact the water first in a wing low or nose low position, the impending cartwheel that would ensue could be disasterous. This is what I would call an incident that separates “pilots” from “aviators”.
Sully is an Aviator. His resume speaks for itself. It took an aviator (2 with his First Officer) to keep that aircraft from going into that river uncontrolled.
Having experienced several emergencies over 20 years of flying airplanes, I can tell you that each time you say the word Emergency, you have to fight yourself first. If you cannot park your fear or ego and motivate into the challenge, you are toast. The only solution to that is inoculation. It is why we get a wringing out in the simulators every six months, a Crew Resource Management acclimation when we train, and are encouraged and instructed to use our fellow crew and passengers in just such an event. The training we receive may not cover EVERY possibility, but it programs us for success when the unexpected arises.
Bottom line, if Captain Sullenberger had dragged a wing, stalled the airplane, or tried to take an ill fated turn towards Teterboro, we would have a much different story being broadcast. That guy, in my opinion, saved everyones bacon. Judging by some of the personal comments that I have heard from many of the pilot message forums I have read, he will not want anyone calling him a hero. He loves to fly, he loves to take you along, and he loves making a living at doing what he does best. Sounds like a guy I would like to fly with.
Courage is putting aside your fear and moving forward. Whether doing it for self preservation, or for the lives of those entrusted to you justifies those definitions you guys can decide. I have not experienced a water landing in a Jet aircraft, and hope I never do. The few times I have had to declare an emergency, I knew in my heart if I did not act, there would be loss greater than just my own. It weighs on you, and you have to deal with it to get on to the business of saving lives. I believe we all have this ability, pilots are no different. We are just inoculated to different things than the average passenger.
Congrats Captain Sullenberger, you are a hero in my book. Job well done.
Comment by Tim Brownson on 18 January 2009:
Some more great answers people and it was great to get the take of a current airline pilot, so thanks to Mike.
As I said before it’s obvious we all feel ‘Sully’ was a hero and an incredibly skilled and composed guy. He’s certainly the guy that I’d want piloting any plane I got on.
I’m not sure where we are with the courage thing though. I think the fact that there are so many valid and well thought out opinions in this thread, leaves me to believe that it really has to be a personal thing.
I don’t think irrespective of what the dictionary says, that there is a definition that everybody would be happy with. To say that courage is this or courage is that misses the point imho. Courage is whatever you think it is and how however you want to apply the word is fine if that works for you.
Thanks again everybody I really have enjoyed reading all the different opinions.
Comment by cris@Miami Life Coach on 21 January 2009:
Thanks Tim,that’s a real courage. It is the hero within us that propels and moves a man out of his own pleasure, our own comfort zone for a more meaningful and eternal reason.Duty is not courage that makes a difference but it is beyond duty and responsibility. But something that sometimes call for undeserved sacrifice or stubborn love, and that is something in this life. Something that people would not simply forget its extra-ordinariness. This I learned somehow from kamjah. An excellent life coaching principle and service that makes my life never be the same again.
cris@Miami Life Coachs last blog post..Kamjah Press Release – Life Coaching and More
Comment by Laurie on 23 January 2009:
The twitter thing was fun. I encourage others to click in on Monday with you Tim! I will be out of pocket at that time so if you post it somewhere, I would love to check back to take a peek.
For me, courage is following the path of your heart in spite of the rugged terrain and naysayers along the way. It is valuing yourself when others tell you your crap, and doing what you believe is right when you might pay a great price. It is having integrity in situations when integrity isn’t easy.