Courage > Fear

Picture a scene from 1773.

Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty have assembled for an urgent meeting.

A sense of outrage is palpable in the room. Their rights as Englishmen have been violated, they agree. They must do something about the unwanted tea aboard the Dartmouth anchored in Boston Harbor. If they don’t, they risk losing another piece of their self-governance.

A handful of the more spirited members propose a radical solution. “What if we masquerade as Indians and pour all the tea into the harbor?” they suggest.

But, instead, they do nothing.

Three years later, the American colonies face another crisis.

The situation with Great Britain has deteriorated. Between the Battles of Lexington and Concord, growing armies of Red Coats, and increased political oppression, many question whether separation from the mother country is now inevitable. In fact, five men have already drafted a document they call the Declaration of Independence, announcing “that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved.”

Of course, issuing such a proclamation would be nothing short of treasonous, marking anyone who dares to sign it as an enemy of the Crown. And so, instead of defending their rights or blazoning defiant messages such as “We must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately,” they do nothing. 

Fast forward to December 1941.

America has just been attacked. The Nazis have steamrolled vast swaths of Europe, and now, the Japanese have targeted a U.S. naval base. No one in America wants to fight a war, but fighting has become necessary. The future of Western Civilization depends on America’s ability to defend itself and check the spread of the freedom-suppressing Axis powers.

But then again, perhaps resistance is too risky. The bad guys possess formidable weapons, and the Nazis have already conquered several countries. Perhaps the West should bargain for peace at the price of slavery…

Perhaps America should do nothing…
                                                                                                                                       
At critical junctures throughout history, brave men have overcome fear, doubts, and naysayers to preserve our nation and liberty. We could tell the whole of the American story through this lens. Where would we be today without the brave men who participated in the Boston Tea Party, signed the Declaration of Independence, and fought in places like Iwo Jima and Normandy? That answer may not be obvious, but this much is clear: without them, we’d have a whole lot more tyranny in the world. 

According to C.S. Lewis, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” In other words, what does it matter if you believe in freedom if you aren’t willing to defend it? Anyone can claim to uphold moral principles and disregard them whenever it’s expedient. That isn’t courage, though.

True courage does more than just talk about liberty; it also denounces tyranny. It does not settle for writing sermons or white papers; it also takes action.

Let’s consider one final example.

Picture a scene from 2025.

Lawmakers debate an application for an Article V convention to propose amendments limiting federal spending, power, and terms of office. They all claim to value limited government and fear the federal leviathan, but a prominent distinction quickly emerges. One group wants endlessly to complain about deficit spending and government overreach. But whenever the second group attempts to do anything about those issues, the first kicks and screams and drags its feet. Consternation about the unknown has impaired them from taking the first bold, decisive action needed to truly rein in the federal government. They purport to want to, but fear has stopped them in their tracks.

This very well could be our equivalent of the Boston Tea Party or July 4, 1776. But whether or not we will take advantage of it remains to be seen. Will we, like our ancestors, permit courage to triumph? Or, crippled by fear, will we sit on our hands?

The Know Nothings of yesteryear have been replaced by the Do Nothings of today. Proficient pontificators can fill libraries of books about their problems. But when it comes to courage-based solutions, the shelves run bare.

The good news is that courage runs deep in true American blood. Fear has never yet been allowed to prevail. From the Sons of Liberty to the boys of Pointe du Hoc, our ancestors have more than proved their mettle. Let’s take a page from their book and rise to meet our own 1773, 1776, and 1941 moment. 

Sign the COS petition below to reject the fear!

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