Moral courage is rather than physical courage

"Moral courage is rarer than physical courage" Nelson Mandela face grave threats, dangers, and 27 years in prison while fighting apartheid in South Africa. In his autobiography Long walk to freedom, he admitted that he felt fear many times but choose to fight till his last breath. His physical courage might not have sustained the suffering, but it was his rare moral courage which kept burning the flame of justice, inside him. In this essay we shall discuss why and how moral courage is rarer than physical courage and the need to have strong moral courage, and how physical courage without moral courage is week. Abstract Moral Courage v/s Physical Courage Courage is not merely the absence of fear but triumph over it.

Moral courage is the cognitive component of our courage whereas physical courage is the tangible component of courage. Physical courage conquers the fear of death, but moral courage conquers the fear of all adverse consequences in life. Moral courage is developed through strong values imbibed in us. It is the courage to ask questions, seek the truth, fight for injustice and also accept the adverse views of others. It helps us in choosing the right path of life, even when standing alone against all the odds. Physical courage is triumph over bodily fears. A person can be physically courage but yet can falter when standing alone against the adversaries. It is often not based on our physical courage without values can make people to choose the wrong path in life Moral courage is rarely found in individuals, but it has significant power to fight for our rights and prevents the injustice around us. In our country education and rights were the privileged of men, since women are considered as PARAYA DHAN. Injustice towards women were cleary visible, but none of the intellectuals, educated have actively voiced against it because there courage could not defeat the rise above the conservative and patriarchial society.

It was Savitribai Phule, India's first female teacher with rare moral courage who fought for women's education and equality. The rarer moral courage can be seen in families rooted in strong values. Such families shows the moral courage of giving equal opportunities to both male and females in every aspect against the percieved societal norms of putting boys above girls. Violence against women, denying the basic rights, on the other hand shows the abundant physical courage. Our society is abundant of people with physical courage and few with moral courage. Witch hunting in Assam, was an attribute of the physically courageous people and they are glorified for having such courage, But Birubala Rabha, a social reformer, could not tolerate the injustice, and her moral courage to fight against the injustice led to social reform and by creating awareness and persuading the government to take prompt action.

The moral courage shown by an individual are defined as treason or criminal activity and a breach of trust held by an organisation. Some of the people may consider him hero for serving the public good by exposing flaws and seeking truth. Edward Snowden demonstrated higher moral courage by exposing the mass surveillance done by the National Security Agency. The government charged him for treason, his courage of whistleblowing exposed the truth. The Global South, till recently accepted the dominance of the Western countries, and instead of exploitation they faced, they lacked the moral courage to raise their voice. The current showcased its power India helped start and shape the Global South through the Non-aligned movement and Post-Colonial Coalitions. The voice of global South Summits have uplifted the moral courage and gave voice to the global South to fight against the hegemony of west demanding climate justice. Physical courage without moral courage is weak Physical courage helps us in fighting against bodily adversaries. It does not prepare us mentally to face difficult situation. Physical courage without moral courage which comes from our deep values only strengthen the evil inside us.

Physical strength allows a person to fight against hardship, but did not show the right way. It is the moral courage which helps in upholding our moral principles and treat everyone equally without discrimination. The prolonged Russia-Ukraine War is a living example of physical strength without moral courage. The courage to negotiate for peace, the courage to reduce the suffering of people, the courage to abjure violence. Developing Moral Courage Our society, family and education can significantly shape our moral courage, by imparting values of justice, temperance, discipline. The ability to distinguish between right and wrong, self discipline, quest for truth strengthen our moral courage. It requires the willingness to take risk for a greater good. Developing moral courage also needs institutional and governmental support. The whistleblower act, RTI act are some steps towards it. In an era of globalization, where digital media and Artificial Intelligence dominate by creating digital echo chambers and geopolitical posturing, our moral courage becomes our ultimate compass seeking the truth.

As Martin Luther King Jr noted - the ultimate measure of a person is where they stand in times of challenge and controversy.