We need to be strong. Especially women, it’s a fact, brave and courageous. But – what’s the difference? Looking for the disparity between the words I stumble over What’s the Difference, a newsletter by Brette Warshaw, consultant and writer living in New York City. Her explanation is beautiful and inspiring and I want to share it:
”Bravery is the ability to confront something painful or difficult or dangerous without any fear. It’s a quality, not a state of mind; it doesn’t need a cause to awaken it. Someone is brave—full stop. To the person who has it, it’s effortless; it’s eating a caterpillar on the playground because a friend dares you to, without a second thought. It’s jumping from the highest diving board without any hesitation.
Courage, on the other hand, is the ability to confront something painful or difficult or dangerous despite any fear. It’s not a quality, but a choice; a person feels the fear or pain or danger, but chooses to persevere anyway. Unlike bravery, courage is driven by a cause; the courageous person believes that cause is worth standing up and fighting for, despite all the clear reasons not to. It takes a great effort, because what’s on the other end merits it.”
”What’s the difference” is a fun concept by the way, sorting out words and conceptions. But when I look for more I see that her last post was in september 2019. Where is Brette Wharshaw now and what is she writing about? It fascinates me, time after time, that we can come close to unknown human beings reading their words and thoughts. Somebody suddenly pops up in our global field of vision, then dissapears again …
I go on reading about bravery and courage and I continue to share her post:
”These differences can be traced back to the etymology of the words. The root word for bravery is the Italian word “bravo,” which means “bold” but also once meant “wild, savage.” The root word for courage, however, is “coeur”—the French word for “heart.”
So if you don’t consider yourself brave, don’t despair. When a cause is worthy enough—when you have something worth fighting for—that’s where courage steps in. Courage isn’t something you need to already have; it’s something you can find.”
Something awakes inside. This is about hope. And about sharing: knowledge, thoughts and encouraging words. Sharing is caring. So let’s share strong Swedish artist Miss Li too. Go for it. Go for courage. We’re stronger than we think.
Creativity unites!