Once I had chosen courage as a topic, the next step was to define it. However, after my hunt for a definition, I ended up more confused.  

What was this elusive quality called courage?

Was it something a few intrepid souls were born with, or was it a part of human nature?

Suddenly, an old cartoon I used to watched popped up. It was called Courage, the cowardly dog. Back the. I thought it was a stupid name for such a fearful dog. Courage the dog (pun intentional) was prone to anxiety and panic attacks. However, he always managed to protect his master and mistress (Useless and Muriel) and save the day. 

What seemed oxymoronic as a child made perfect sense when Mark Twain, king of quotes, succinctly defined courage:

Courage is resistance and mastery of fear, not absence of it. 

So fearlessness and courage were not synonyms. Rather, they were polar opposites. Courage and fear, on the other hand, went hand-in-had. 

This was quite the revelation to me. I had always thought that courage was reserved for the superheroes in movies, or the brave souls who surmount seemingly unbeatable odds to succeed. 

Now I'm able to see courage in mundane acts. A girl who is terrified of public speaking going up on stage, a little boy telling his mother that he lied about breaking a glass, and a teacher facing a new class of rowdy students- all of them are showing courage. The greater their fear, the braver they are. 

"The courageous might not live forever, but cowards do not live at all".

This quote reminds me of my own experience with courage.

On a trip to Gokarna, my friends and I went on a boat ride. When our small motor boat was far away from the coast, one of my friends asked the boatman if it was safe to jump into the sea. when he nodded, three of my friends clambered onto the edge of the boat, and with much shreiking and shouting, jumped right into the water!! I stood there watching, stiff with fear. Thoughts of sharks and other predators lurking in the murky water flooded my mind. "Do I dare go in?", I thought to myself. Finally, after a lot of coaxing (and praying on my part), I leaped into the water, my heart in my throat. I felt a rush as the water surrounded me. I was excited and happy, yet calm at the same time. Everything around me felt tranquil and I was at peace.

Looking back, I am so glad that I mustered the courage to jump into the water because if I did not, I would have missed out on one of the most liberating experiences of my life.