Courage and the Ukrainian People

The classical four cardinal virtues are prudence, justice, courage, and temperance. It has often been claimed that the lynchpin of these virtues is justice. Justice is traditionally understood as the constant will to give to each what they are due. Its result is the proper ordering of a soul and a society so that they may function harmoniously. However, I think that perhaps what is more important than justice is courage. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the will to do what is right in spite of all fear and terror. It is the ability to not allow fear to stop you from doing what is right. Without courage, all of the other virtues fall by the wayside.

Current Events

What has brought these thoughts to my mind of late is the recent Russian-instigated war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian people have shown temperance in how they’ve treated their enemy. They’ve shown justice in their unflinching devotion to their rights as a sovereign people. They’ve shown prudence in how they’ve prepared for and are handling the conflict. However, none of this would have been manifest without the example of their extraordinary courage. All of these qualities have shown through because, despite the horrendous prospect of an invasion by a superior force, the Ukrainians were courageous enough to stand their ground and not allow fear to deter them from defending themselves and their rights. The witness of their heroism has sparked worldwide demonstrations and rallied the EU and other allies to their cause.

Be Not Afraid

This reminds me that one of the most uttered phrases in the Bible is “fear not.” If we do not allow fear to enter our hearts, then we leave an opening for courage to grow within us. Christ, Himself, knows what fear feels like. Yet in the face of fear, he says, “Let Thy Will be done, not Mine” (Luke 24:42).  And that is the essence of courage, it is selflessness. For if a person is to face fear and terror and not flinch, then he must not be self-absorbed. To be unafraid, to disallow fear to take hold in your heart is to have your heart set on a goal loftier than mere personal satisfaction or safety. For Christ, this goal is the salvation of many and the redemption of sin. For the Ukrainians, it is the right of their people to live on their land in peace and freedom.

We can see here how the other three virtues help to guide and compliment courage. For with justice courage has its proper aim of selflessness. And with prudence and temperance courage doesn’t turn into anger or rage but is properly proportioned to the challenges it faces.

To riff of off Saint Paul, you can have prudence enough to be able to solve any issue, temperance enough to not be swayed by any passion, and justice enough to ensure all equality, but if you have no courage, you are a noisy gong or a clashing cymbal.

An Everyday Virtue

Given these examples, it might seem that there is no need for courage other than extraordinary circumstances. On the contrary, courage like all of the other virtues is built up every day in the small choices that we make. Whenever we avoid selfishness or do what we know we ought to do even though we don’t feel like doing it we are building up these virtues no matter how small the situation at hand might be.

We must therefore use this upcoming time of Lent to engage in self-reflection and assess where we can grow in courage and all the other virtues. Though we may not be facing the battlefield or a cross, we may someday and we all will face the question Christ asked Peter, “Do you love me?” We can prepare for all of these circumstances by building up these virtues every day. In this way, if we someday find ourselves at a major terrifying crossroad like our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, we can say with them and the psalmist, “My heart is ready” (Psalms 57:7-8).