In an increasingly uncertain and troubled world, courage is once again placed at the center of questions, as if we must draw from within ourselves the resources necessary to face the complexity of reality. And deal with the unpredictable.
“It’s an opportunity to write, it’s not an act of bravery,” Annie Erno replied when asked in 2022 about the term “bravery” associated with the “clinical acuity” of her writing work, while she was awarded the highest honor. Difference in the world of letters. Nobel Prize for Literature. “Courage is not sitting at a table, picking up a pen and writing. There are many other forms of courage: in work, in manual work. There is courage in Ukraine, yes,” he added. Disrupting the classical vision of the committed intellectual, the novelist opposes another form of bravery that physically rubs the shoulders of danger and death and introduces the idea of diversity, even a hierarchy of bravery.
In the context of many crises characteristic of our society, this concept appeared again in the basis of speeches as the ability to get out of the situation. the courage of Moroccans who have to rebuild everything after the earthquake that hit the country, the courage of teachers while teaching. knowledge is at stake, the courage of civilians under attack; Philosopher Cynthia Fleury (1) uses a subtle formula to link courage and the reality principle; In an increasingly uncertain world, courage is thus again placed at the center of questions by the intellectual sphere.
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Courage or audacity?
In their work Dare to be bold (2), authors Violet Bouvere and Jeremy Lamry begin by redefining courage. They take it out of the individual sphere, where it is placed especially by mythology and some philosophers; It is often associated with skill, it is reserved for heroes. It is the competence of a superman.’ Before showing how it is leverage, they state its definition. They assume that bravery is different from boldness, rashness, or skill.
Its opposite is cowardice, but its absence also often coincides with denial of reality. The authors choose to analyze it at the scale of what they call organizations (companies, associations). “Therefore, courage is not just an individual concept. We see this clearly when we analyze the MeToo phenomenon, explains Violet Bouvere. It’s the integration into the collective that encourages speaking up.” Viewed on the scale of social relations, courage can be supported and encouraged. “Among the catalysts for courage, in addition to adversity, we mention what we call ‘encouragers’, those who help us take action. Sometimes this support is lacking, and then courage turns into priesthood. This is how the book analyzes the courage of teachers. Who encourages them? This makes us question our determination to encourage them.”
A daring act is structured like a project. This learning occurs through self-organization
Violet Bouveret, author
We come to believe that courage can be learned and that organizations and collectives have every interest in encouraging it. “A brave act is structured like a project. This learning occurs through self-organization. It implies putting oneself at the service of a cause greater than oneself.” A path is then opened that is also a road map for organizations that want to reform themselves; reestablishing compassion in the heart, reactivating the body, reviving ideals, and infusing combativeness into concrete commitments, finally, setting the head capable of accepting the call to courage. integrating complexity and the unexpected. This means taking inspiration from the famous Military Operational Decision Making Method (MEDO), realizing that the rule of thumb is that there is none, and that you must prepare for anything.
(1) In the end of courage Ed. Pocket book. (2) Ed. Dunod.
Source: Le Figaro
