Courage cannot see around corners, yet turns them all the same. More specifically in the discussion of physical courage, this would be doing a physical activity that frightens one. From the very definition of the word it is obvious that courage is not a simple skill that one picks up. To have courage is to have the ability to confront your fears, and once that fear is confronted, it is most likely conquered. This would suggest that courage is in fact, the ability to rid oneself of fears. Of course not all fears can be conquered, but the concept that one can posses such a trait shows the great potential in the human race.
The word itself originated from the Latin word "cor" which is translated to mean heart. Throughout history and today's society, the organ of the heart has symbolized the greatest emotions or "powers" of the human race. Emotions like love and hate are generally accepted to metaphorically start at the heart. This would mean that the emotion of courage, at least in the eyes of the population throughout history, should be considered to be one of the strongest emotions, and therefore one of the most powerful. The population expressed this opinion, in the classic tale "The Wizard of Oz".
In "The Wizard of Oz" there are 3 characters whom ironically actually posses the qualities that they consider themselves not to have. The character that lacks courage is the lion. The lion, in nature, is the king of the jungle. He is the ruler over all of the animal kingdom and is widely respected and feared by the animal kingdom. His power in the animal kingdom is parallel to the word courage's power in real life as well, because in the frame of emotions, it is considered to be a very powerful one. The lion also portrays great courage throughout the story without realization. His realization, or lack thereof, shows that although courage is a very powerful emotion that can change lives, sometimes the people who posses it are not even aware of it.
