Courage & Bravery

[Fin]

Fear & Love are so beautifully intertwined.


Is Courage intertwined with anything?
And what is the difference between Courage & Bravery?

Any thoughts?

[Pandara]

Hi Fin,

I think in my humble opinion that courage and bravery are intertwined to an extend, but that this depends more or less on the individual and the place of these two in his/her life. I think courage is motivated by conviction and bravery by a sense of responsibility (and if you read the acts of bravery in history is seems like almost a blind sense if I may add).

[Fin]

Hi Pandara,

Thank you for your thoughts.
… if I understand you correctly – Courage is innate/permanent whilst Bravery evolves till eventually Courage & Bravery become one…

Bravery, as I understand it, suggests a kind of fearlessness. Brave people face danger willingly, even eagerly, for they are not afraid.
But courage is different. Courage is less about fear and more about something deeper, something, I think, that has to do with one's spirit or soul. Courage is doing the right thing, even in the face of those who tell us we are crazy or stupid. Courage is taking a stand and living with it. Courage is also about growth, about a willingness to change one's mind if that is the right thing to do. A brave person may fight when called upon. A courageous person may choose not to fight even if it means certain death.
My mother for instance is courageous but not brave, she is afraid of spiders etc, but her courage stems from something deep inside, as you say conviction.

I am not sure if bravery & courage are intertwined (as in the same manner that fear & love are) but rather bravery flows into the ocean of courage as the individual soul evolves.

… so what is Courage intertwined with?
Love
Fin

[Mirjana]

"To love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive - to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before."

Couldn't we say the same for courage? And if I think about bravery I get the association about proofing something to yourself and the rest of the world....

[Hubert]

Courage is also intertwined with fear, I guess. Courage does not mean one is not afraid, but one does not act based on fear but based on what the situation requires. Courage is overcoming fear.
Where there is courage, there is fear. Without fear there can be no courage, just the blind bravery of the ignorant.

[WalterJ]

I was recently reading an article, I believe it was Psychology Today, that was saying was directly related to a since of duty. I will have to locate the article to make sure I am remembering this correctly.

[Pandara]

Dear Fin,

I think there is a level of fear in both courage and bravery, but the beauty of the two for me is that fear is quickly replaced by fearlessness. I think if a person is so overcome by fear, it would paralyse the person to the extend that they won't be able to do anything, neither something courageous or brave. But when they conquer their fear they move into the realms of fearlessness which is expressed by acts of bravery or courage.

[Fin]

Originally Posted by Pandara

....
But when they conquer their fear they move into the realms of fearlessness which is expressed by acts of bravery or courage.

… beautifully put, looks like fear is intertwined with all emotions including courage, joy & Love.


Is ananda (bliss) free of fear?
Having no excess to Anandamaya Kosha I can not answer that.


… just a thought.
Fin