Courage

What is true courage? This question was asked by my
English teacher one day for a journal prompt. I'll tell you
what true courage is. Few people know what the actual
meaning of courage is, and even fewer people posses actual
courage. The meaning of the word "courage" has been
forgotten over time. Let's remind ourselves, shall we?

When I think of courage, I think of Barack Obama. True
courage lies with him. He knows that being the first
African American president, the probability of an
assignation attempt is very high. He has a wife and kids
(two little girls) who would be heartbroken if he was
killed, but he ran for the highest office anyway.

Obama also has to keep in mind all the pressures that
are on him while he's in the White House. The American
citizens are expecting him to end the financial, water and
energy crises. They are expecting him to repair the
healthcare, social and homeland security systems. If Obama
doesn't fix our economy within the next four years, many
believe he will only serve one term in office. The U.S. is
in bad shape right now and 5 million people across the
country are all counting on him to fix it. The fact that he
is still willing to try, he's willing to give it his all and
with the added pressure of possibly being shot truly speaks
to his character and really demonstrates true courage on his
part, in my opinion.

Other people who have true courage in my opinion are
the brave soldiers fighting against enemy forces in Iraq and
Afghanistan. They have, without hesitation continued to
defend our country for eight years in Afghanistan and six
long years in Iraq. They don't know when they're coming
home, but still they continue to fight and defend the United
States -- our country -- their country and all its citizens.

True courage is truly hard to come by these days. The
meaning has been lost, but fortunately for us, there are a
few people out there who, whether they know it or not, are
truly courageous and we thank them for it.