“Courage involves pain, for enduring the terrible is harder than abstaining from pleasure.”
— Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book III, Chapter 9
(Translated by W.D. Ross)
Big Idea
Life’s an RPG where courage is the ultimate loot 🛡️:
- Courage = Grinding through boss battles (painful but epic rewards).
- Pleasure = Easy cheat codes → Quick wins, zero XP.
Real-Life Scenarios
🎮 Online Gaming Toxicity
→ Courage: Call out bullying in chat → Risk clout, gain respect.
→ Pleasure: Stay silent for “safe” likes → Guilt glitch.
🏀 Sports Tryouts
→ Courage: Practice daily despite failure → Unlock “resilience” skill tree.
→ Pleasure: Skip drills to binge Netflix → Stats stay noob-level.
📚 Group Project Panic
→ Courage: Admit you’re lost → Ask for help → Team MVP status.
→ Pleasure: Fake it till you crash → Quest failed.
What You Can Do
- Courage XP Tracker
Log 3 “painful but right” choices this week:
→ Example: Apologized after roasting a friend → +10 Integrity XP. - Boss Battle Simulator
Role-play tough convos with a friend:
→ “I messed up” vs. “Your meme was cringe.” - Cheat Code Jar
Write down 1 pleasure you’ll resist daily:
→ Day 1: Scrolled TikTok instead of homework → Toss the scroll, grind the goal.