Why do people seem to think that one person’s courage somehow diminishes another?

Courage by definition is simply facing something that you are either afraid of or that could cause pain.

So whether that is going to war, fighting & dying for this country, running for public office, giving a speech, standing up for your beliefs, overcoming an injury, learning to walk/talk/eat again following a stroke, coming out as gay or coming out as transgender. All of these and many more actions are examples of someone stepping out in faith, trusting God or the universe that everything will be okay, and doing something hard.

Hard is Hard. You can’t rank hard or or someone’s level of courage.

Now I know what your gonna say. “They are ranking it! It’s an award.” But if you’re going to give an award about courage, and it is an annual thing, you probably are going to look at diverse examples of courageous individuals and present the most recent and relevant examples for each year.

So, although by definition when you are giving an award you are ranking something, let’s be realistic. No one is arguing that soldiers are not courageous or that there aren’t other equally worthy winners of an award for courage.

Diminishing the courage of one does not enhance the courage of another, or vice versa. Hard is just hard. Let us just commiserate on our shared experiences as human beings, recognize those who have overcome and find a place for love in our hearts.