This week, we’ll consider the virtue of Fortitude, also sometimes referred to as courage.  Plato called it “the principle of not fleeing danger, but meeting it.”  Aristotle described it as the mean, between cowardice and recklessness.

One of the greatest stories of Fortitude ever told is that of David and Goliath.  The Philistines and the Israelites had gathered their forces for war with one another.  Every morning and every evening, for forty days, the Philistines would send out Goliath—their battle-tested champion who stood more than 9 ½ feet tall.  He challenged the Israelites to send out a man to fight him.  But “[o]n hearing the Philistine’s words, [King] Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.”

When the young shepherd boy, David, came to the Israelite camp to deliver some food to his brothers, he heard what had been happening and said to King Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

Now, it is easy for us to look at David’s boldness and to call it courage.  After all, we know the end of the story.  David wins; Goliath gets his head chopped off; and David eventually becomes a great king.  But when you and I are called to have fortitude, we don’t get to preview the end of the story—we don’t know if it will turn out well.  Indeed, if we knew the outcome in advance, it wouldn’t be courageous to face the danger in the first place. 

What if the David and Goliath story had turned out differently?  What if David went out to face Goliath, the stone from his slingshot missed Goliath’s head, and then Goliath crushed David with one blow?  Would we then be tempted to call David’s action reckless?  Would the rest of the Israelites suddenly become prudent rather than cowardly?  And if that is the case, is there really any way to know what counts as true Fortitude at the moment of decision, when it all depends upon the outcome?  Or is the measure of Fortitude something else entirely?  Give it some thought…

And have a wonderful day.