It seems like a very simple question to think about. What is courage? What does it mean? And how can you have courage in your life? Although it seems like a very easy question to answer, the deeper you dive into it, the harder and more complicated it seems. In the story The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, he describes it as something that “comes to us in finite quantities, like an inheritance, and by being frugal and stashing it away and letting it earn interest, we steadily increase our moral capital in preparation for that day when the account must be drawn down” (38). In other words, he means that it is a feeling of bravery and vigilance that you keep stored up until times when you may need it, and when that time comes, you will be able to use it to benefit you and others around you.

I think that courage is a very important quality to have. The courageous people are more likely to be the people to help someone out and brighten up their day. They are usually the ones who are willing to make sacrifices to themselves to help others out. And they are usually the ones to lean on if you ever find yourself needing to lean on someone. Courage is one of the best qualities a person can posses. And today, you could argue that there seems to be a lack of it. It is much easier to join in with the bigger and cooler group of people and forget about the smaller, less cool people. This is something that some think is happening more and more in schools, workplaces, and even sports teams today. However, it is very important to not forget about the smaller or weaker, and offer them help when they seem like they need it. People with courage are the people who do help the people who help everyone who needs it, even if they are not the cool ones, or are the shyer ones. Courage is very important since it is often about not only helping yourself, but by helping others as well. It makes courage one of the best qualities a person can show.

When you think of the most courageous people ever, you think of people who made a huge impact on not only themselves and their close friends and family, but made an impact on society that changed the way people lived for the better, and we still see their courage impact our lives today. People like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King jr. are some that stand out over others, since they did such brave things to better themselves and the people around them, and the affects of what they did are still seen today. When the author describes it as  something that “comes to us in finite quantities, like an inheritance”, it helps the reader see who the truly courageous people are. The way he describes courage makes perfect sense. He is saying that the most courageous people have the feeling of courage more often than others with less buildup needed. They are also the ones willing to be brave and help out the majority of the people, even if it means sacrificing something themselves. The need for courage has always been important, and it still is one of the most important things that anyone, even you, can have.