The subsequent post is actually a comment left by Egghead on my Bravery post. I thought it was an excellant expansion on the subject and needed to be posted.


Egghead said...
I, too, enjoy your writing, Kim.

Amidst your discussion of bravery, though, I think you're touching on something a bit deeper. I think what really matters about bravery isn't necessarily bravery itself but what motivates it.

The Greek philosopher Aristotle described bravery as the virtue that lies on the continuum between the vices of cowardice and foolhardiness. But look at the motivations for acting brave rather than cowardly... one can do it out of shame for being a coward, or one could do it in order to achieve some sort of glory or reputation. One could even be brave motivated by anger, or hatred, or revenge toward another. But none of these motivations are really admirable, and I tend to think that most people, when seeing bravery due to these motivations don't get choked up, or moved to tears.

What, then, causes us to be moved by brave acts? In a word, love. Which is what you described. When one faces danger while telling others to run away, that protection is motivated by love. When our soldiers do heroic things on the battlefield, that's motivated by love. It could be love for their comrades in the military, "I have to save my buddy," or it could be out of love for their families back home, or it could even be out of love for their country.

Or firefighters running into burning buildings. That bravery is obviously motivated by love - even love of complete strangers.

THAT's why pictures of these heroes saving people is so moving. When we witness love, we cannot help but to be moved.


Well said, Egghead. I agree that it is the love behind acts of selflessness that make us remember them and pass along stories of them, and that leads to me inevitably crying whenever I hear of or witness them. There's no greater act of love than self-sacrifice.

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