Classic Catholic

Courage!
I've become more and more convinced of the importance of the virtue of courage (fortitude) in recent years. I'm not the only one who's noticing this. Although there is a feminine version of the virtue, I'm thinking mostly of the manly version, as I've hinted at in a previous post.

I think a lot about the men in the ancient epics. Would I ever have that kind of courage? I took this test and scored a 35. Darn, I'm a coward! Of course, I would not run into an apartment building to rescue a cat. That one hurt me.

I had a friend in college who did a stint as a radio operator for Witnesses for Peace on the Nicaraguan border in the 1980s. He was captured by the Contras, but escaped to tell about it. While I may not agree with his politics, I at least admire his valor.

I think many of us men who grew up in the late 20th century were inculcated with a certain timidity. Perhaps it was from seeing those images of the slaughter in Viet Nam at too early an age. Perhaps it was the commentary that accompanied those images. I don't know. I just know that I regret it and want my boys to learn courage. And to defend the weak. These are so important.

Like I said, I'm not addressing the feminine version of the virtue.