Bushido Virtue #2 - Yu or Courage

Bushido Virtue #2 : Yu or Courage

The word courage is seen in the media frequently.  Often, stories regarding our troops and their families describe their courage in the midst of turmoil.  Sometimes we focus on a once in a lifetime story of courage such as the “Miracle on the Hudson” when Capt. Sullenberger successfully ditched his airplane in the Hudson River and saved 155 lives.  Most of us will never be faced with such situations where others are seemingly endowed with supernatural courage.  So what *is* courage anyway?

Courage is defined in the Random House dictionary as “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. without fear; bravery”.  The word comes from Old English, Old French, and Latin – all referring to the heart.  Other words we use similar to courage include:  fearlessness, valor, pluck, spirit, valiance.  One of my favorite definitions is “courage is fear that has said its prayers and keeps going”.

Kanji for courage or "yu"

A different perspective is that of Nitobe. ‘The spiritual aspect of valor is evidenced by composure—calm presence of mind. […]. A truly brave man is ever serene; he is never taken by surprise; nothing ruffles the equanimity of his spirit. In the heat of battle he remains cool; in the midst of catastrophes he keeps level his mind. Earthquakes do not shake him, he laughs at storms. We admire him as truly great, who, in the menacing presence of danger or death, retains his self-possession;’

If gi (rectitude) is the compass that points north, then maybe yu (courage) is the gut-level decision and action to GO north.   

In the dojo, one can see much evidence of courage.  Getting to class when you are so sore you don’t know how you’ll make it through.  Performing a kata that you mess up over and over, in front of everyone, until you get it nailed.  Donning your sparring gear to face that black belt that terrifies you.  Patiently working with an underbelt on a technique that they just can’t seem to get, even though you have other things to do.  Belt test – need I say more?  Personal out-of-the dojo training, whatever that looks like for you.  And if we ever have to defend ourselves for real, isn’t level-headed composure during the attack something we must have to survive? 

Again, bushido was meant to encompass one’s whole life, not just their military training.  Like the Cowardly Lion, sometimes we believe others simply have more courage than we do and that becomes our reasoning for not stepping out of our comfort zone.  On a scale of 1 to 10, low to high, how would you rate your level of courage overall?  Does it vary depending on what life situation you’re in?  Is it tied to your self-confidence or to your guiding compass?  Have you had an experience where you were courageous in spite of quaking in your boots, so to speak?  Are you naturally full of courage or do you have to work at it? 

Think of what you can do to increase your own courage level.  Think of someone you know who seems to have an abundance of courage.  Think of someone you know who could use some extra.  How can you strive for the coolness of spirit in the midst of catastrophe that Nitobe talked about?