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\u201cI am tired of hearing about men with the \u201ccourage of their convictions. Nero and Caligula and Attila and Hitler had the courage of their convictions . . . But not one of them had the courage to examine their convictions or to change them, which is the true test of character\u201d (Sydney J. Harris).<\/p>\n
TODAY, AS WE CELEBRATE ABRAHAM LINCOLN\u2019S BIRTHDAY, LET\u2019S MEDITATE ON THE VALUE OF COURAGE. There can be little question that Lincoln\u2019s place in history was secured by the courageous coupling of his character and his well-informed conscience.<\/p>\n
Courage is a quality of such fundamental importance that from ancient times it has been counted as one of the four \u201ccardinal\u201d virtues: justice, wisdom, courage, and moderation. The word \u201ccardinal\u201d comes from the Latin cardo<\/em> (\u201chinge\u201d or \u201caxis\u201d), and these virtues are cardinal in the sense that all the other virtues hinge, or depend, on them. They\u2019re the necessary foundation on which the other virtues must be built, and there is even a sense in which courage is the prerequisite for the other cardinal virtues. In the practice of any good human trait, there are challenges and hardships that must be dealt with. Since courage is what overcomes these difficulties, nothing much can be accomplished without it. As James Matthew Barrie put it, \u201cCourage is the thing. All goes if courage goes.\u201d<\/p>\n And yet it should be equally obvious that courage must be balanced by other virtues or it becomes an evil thing. As Sydney J. Harris pointed out, many of the most sinister figures in world history have been persons of courage, but their courage was not informed by justice and equity. It is no great thing to act courageously if our actions are not governed by a conscience grounded in valid principles.<\/p>\n And so, as Harris suggests, what we need are folks with \u201cthe courage to examine their convictions,\u201d and also the courage \u201cto change them, which is the true test of character.\u201d Abraham Lincoln was old-fashioned enough to believe that there are objective standards of right and wrong, and for all his courage, he also had humility. On more than one occasion, he took a position that varied from his previous policies, based on his growing understanding of the requirements of rightness for himself and for his nation. We\u2019re indebted to his example, and we need to be more Lincolnesque in the living of our lives. May we always be courageous in what is right!<\/p>\n \u201cWithout justice, courage is weak\u201d (Benjamin Franklin).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n