Four Types of Courage by Karen Castellucci Cox

            Courage can be categorized as physical, social, moral, and creative.  Physical courage, for example, can be exhibited by firefighters. Firemen risk bodily injury and possibly their lives to save another person in danger. Social courage is necessary to build strong relationships and helps boost confidence when working with the public. Social courage can often be recognized in a high school atmosphere. Developing a relationship with a student that has few friends and isn’t considered to be part of the “popular crowd”, is an example of social courage. The third type of courage is moral. When a person fights for a cause despite the consequences, they display moral courage. In 1994, Paul Rusesabagina displayed one of the greatest examples of moral courage. Rusesabagina not only saved his family, but the lives of over 1,200 others as the Hutu extremists slaughtered millions. The last category of courage is creative.  Creative courage is the ability of a person to “think outside of the box.” You’ll learn more when reading Four Types of Courage by Karen Castellucci Cox.

            Physical courage is displayed nearly every day, most commonly by firefighters and police officers. I believe physical courage, however, wouldn’t exist without moral courage. As mentioned in the summary, physical courage is when a person can possibly suffer bodily injury. A police officer, during a shootout, is expected to hold their ground and save the public from the threat. During this time the officer’s life is at risk, they could be shot at any moment. Without moral courage though, I don’t think a person would be able to stand their ground.  Moral courage is the ability for a person to stand up for a cause despite the consequences they might face. In this particular example, that consequence would be getting shot.

            The two types of courage I think we need more of is creative and social. I believe a successful person is someone that has creative courage. A person that is creative is able to believe in themselves and make their own decisions. It’s important to work with and rely on others, but the greatest attribute a person can have is confidence.

            Social courage, in my opinion, is the most important type courage. Bullying exists more today than it ever has. Even outside of school bullying is evident through social networking.  Bullying can bring a person to their lowest point and has been the reason for multiple suicides. Everyone should be treated equally and must imagine themselves in the shoes of a person being bullied. I truly admire individuals that become friends with someone that isn’t “in” with the popular kids. Perhaps the best example of social courage is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King, a civil rights activist, was an advocate for the rights of African Americans. His courage, unfortunately, resulted in his murder, but he left an impress and legacy that will never die.