AN: Inspired by this quote:
¨What, then, is the American, this new man? He is neither a European nor the descendant of a European; hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country¨`
-Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, Letters from an American Farmer
Defining Gryffindor
Courage, huh? First let´s start off by stating what courage is not.
It is not fearlessness. To be courageous one must overcome fear . Sometimes I think that the most courageous people in the world have the most to fear.
Neither is it recklessness, nor stupidity. They stem from much more damaging and permanent flaws; the twin evils of pride and low self esteem. Or drunkenness.
Nor is it a persistent, constant, inner force like patience or wisdom. That´s probably where the stereotypes of us come from. Courage happens in a moment and then it´s gone. It´s everyday forms aren´t revered in today´s society like those of patience, wisdom or even cunning. Therefore it´s difficult to see, and honestly, we don´t always help our image during the off-times.
But, no, courage lives in a single decision facing all unfavorable consequences. If you tell the professor the truth, that you rigged the trapdoor on the third floor, you will be punished, but it will save you friend from the same fate- Or if you walk to the most powerful dark wizard of your time, you will be killed, but it will end the war for your loved ones. That´s courage. In our society, one of them is stupid, and the other is sensationalistic. Neither are continuous .
Courage, that point-in-time decision, is however, a product of wisdom, loyalty and even sometimes cunning. None can exist without the other.