#1

Aghajanian,Zenopia

Period 5

9/23/16

LoveandCourage
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone gives you

courage. -Lao Tzu

Many talk of how love gives you courage. In fact, we have been raised upon the idea

itself. From the Bible to fairytales, books to movies, the world around us is full of

examples of the courage love can give us. But what do love and courage have to do with

one another? Many are familiar with these emotions but why are they so commonly

found together? The play, Romeo and Juliet, is just one of the many examples of these

two popular emotions playing out within each other. In fact, love is often the source of

our courage, if not for their incredible influence , we would be stuck in an endless loop,

with nothing to fight for. Without these two powerful emotions, we wouldnt have the

courage to accomplish some of the feats we have today.

Yet, On the surface, love seems to be a simple emotion: a feeling of deep affection

(towards someone or something). However, love is far more complex than many realize.

So, one may ask, what is love? According to Rabbi, David Wolpe, love is to feel and

act lovingly. Love is also more commonly recognized as an openness and intimacy

between two people.These are perhaps the best ways to sum up what love is essentially.

But being vulnerable and intimate doesnt automatically mean it must be in a romantic

relationship. There are many types of love ( eros, ludus, storge, pragma, mania, and

agape) all of which require an extreme openness and vulnerability (John Lee). Whether it

be with yourself, others, or the world and environment around you. In addition to this,

love also seems to possess definitive characteristics. Based on the article, 6 Ways Love
Requires Courage, love is an emotion that requires patience, selflessness, flexibility, as

well as other virtues. Love has the incredible ability to bring forth peoples best. The

scripture also talks about this. It preaches about how love allows us to be patient and

not quickly be angered by others. The Bible clearly expresses how love is unwavering

because it believes, hopes, and endures all things. And all of this goes to show how

powerful love can truly be.

Then what about bravery? Is it the ability to save someone from certain doom, or is it

just having someones back through a rough time? No matter what we see bravery as,

its the quality to do something thats dangerous or frightening (Encyclopedia of

Britannica). Bravery can surface in a variety of different events. For some, that might

mean something more dangerous than another. The one key element, no matter the

perception, however, is that bravery begins when someones comfort zone ends.

Whether it be moving away from the comforts of home, taking responsibility for

something you did wrong, or something you did right. All these examples have that one

common factor, someone pushing past their comfort zone and doing something others

can only imagine in their wildest fantasy.

Bravery can turn up in the most unsuspecting places, sometimes without you

even knowing how its happening. In the article, The Six Attributes Of Courage by

Melanie Greenberg, we get an idea of some of these different ways. The author talks

about how, feeling fear yet choosing to act, following your heart,persevering in the face

of adversity, standing up for what is right, and facing suffering with dignity or faith, are all

ways in which we demonstrate courage. And this is all true. Many think that courage is
that firefighter running into the blazing flames to rescue a child. But thats not always the

case. Sometimes bravery is simply saying hi to someone you dont know and risking

rejection.

When we experience emotions, we dont often stop to think about how they

correlate. Love and courage are one example in a sea of emotions that tend to overlap

and can often bleed into one another. In the essay, Love is Brave, the author shares

some insight about both courage and love. She says that, ... love is just intimate

bravery. She also talks about how some people are ...willing to cross the country for a

funny little feeling in their hearts. Oftentimes, we tend to overlook the significance of

love in our decisions. Without love, we wouldnt make the brash decisions we do. And

were better for it. Love and bravery add color to our lives, and put a stop to the

mundane routine of day-to-day life. The author accentuates how a ... lack of bravery is

why the idea of being brave in love is so important... As such, bravery and courage are

vital components in any relationship because it allows one to transfer that same courage

into their daily lives.When someone admittedly cares for another, they are demonstrating

real courage. And that is one of the many ways we demonstrate courage in love. But we

see courage being derived from love in more than our day-to-day lives. There are many

examples in culture where bravery withstands trials.The play, Romeo and Juliet, is just

one of the many examples of these two popular emotions playing out within each other.

In the play, the characters bravely risk everything for one another, including their lives.

Another example of this similar occurrence is the book, The Fault In Our Stars, by John

Green. Surely we are exposed to love and courage in all aspects of life.Love enables us
to endure all manner of adversity. And this indeed holds true. It is a universal theme that

we apply constantly to our lives.

Ultimately, without love and courage, we would lose sight of the things we care

about, the things worth fighting for. Simultaneously, we could lose sight of ourselves.

Like Maddie in Fever 1793, we have to pull both love and courage to get us through the

trials and tribulations we encounter in life. Whatever hardships you encounter, look and

you will find the courage within love when you are lost in fear.
 Bibliography

Al-Khalili, Jim, Philippa Perry, Catherine Wybourne, Jojo Moyes, and Julian Baggini. "What Is Love?

Five Theories on the Greatest Emotion of All | The Panel." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media,

13 Dec. 2012. Web. 16 Sept. 2016.

<https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/dec/13/what-is-love-five-theories>.

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Fever, 1793. New York: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2000. Print.

Cherry, Kendra. "5 Ways Psychologists Explain Love." Verywell. N.p., 14 June 2016. Web. 23

Sept. 2016.

Encyclopedia Britannica. Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2002. Print.

Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

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<https://oncedailyharvard.com/2016/04/08/love-is-brave-a
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<https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/meet-catch-and-keep/201411/6-ways-love-requires-courage>

"The Six Attributes of Courage." Psychology Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2016.

<https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-mindful-self-express/201208/the-six-attributes-courage>.

"Characteristics of Love." Characteristics of Love. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2016.

<http://www.truthmagazine.com/archives/volume36/GOT036203.html>.

Wolp, David. "We Are Defining Love the Wrong Way." Time. Time, 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 23

Sept. 2016.