“Foolhardiness is excess of confidence; cowardice is excess of fear.”
— Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book III, Chapter 7
(Translated by W.D. Ross)
Big Idea
Courage is like cruise control 🚘:
- 120 MPH = Crash into guardrail (Foolhardiness)
- 20 MPH = Road rage behind you (Cowardice)
- 65 MPH = Safe progress (Brave Balance)
Real-World Scenarios
🏥 Hospital Shift
→ Reckless: Nurse skips PPE to “save time” → Gets infected
→ Cowardly: Doctor avoids ICU duty → Patients suffer
→ Courageous: Wear full gear + comfort dying patient → Hero status
🏈 Football Tryouts
→ Reckless: Play with concussion → Career-ending injury
→ Cowardly: Skip final drill → Coach benches you
→ Courageous: Train hard + admit fatigue → Earn starting spot
📱 Viral Moment
→ Reckless: Post conspiracy theories → Account banned
→ Cowardly: Delete all opinions → Become invisible
→ Courageous: Share nuanced truth → Build thoughtful following
Courage Calibration Kit
- Danger Dashboard
Rate daily risks 1-10:- Morning commute (3/10) → Normal caution
- Confronting bully (7/10) → Prepare talking points
- Gradual Exposure
Week 1: Voice small disagreement (“Actually, I prefer Pepsi”)
Week 2: Return wrong order at drive-thru
Week 3: Report workplace safety violation - Courage Buddy System
Text a friend:
“Today I ______ instead of staying silent/acting wild. Rate my balance:”
🔴 Reckless | 🟡 Balanced | 🔵 Timid