Pontius Pilate is a cowardly man. And it was for cowardice that he was punished. The procurator could have saved Yeshua Ha-Nozri from execution, but signed the death warrant. Pontius Pilate feared for the inviolability of his power. He did not go against the Sanhedrin, ensuring his peace at the cost of the life of another person. And all this despite the fact that Yeshua was sympathetic to the procurator. Cowardice prevented the man from being saved. Cowardice is one of the most serious sins (according to the novel "The Master and Margarita").
A.S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin"
Vladimir Lensky challenged Evgeny Onegin to a duel. He could have called off the fight, but he chickened out. Cowardice manifested itself in the fact that the hero took into account the opinion of society. Evgeny Onegin thought only about what people would say about him. The result was sad: Vladimir Lensky died. If his friend had not chickened out, but preferred moral principles to public opinion, the tragic consequences could have been avoided.
A.S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter"
The siege of the Belogorsk fortress by the troops of the impostor Pugachev showed who is considered a hero and who is a coward. Alexey Ivanovich Shvabrin, saving his life, betrayed his homeland at the first opportunity and went over to the side of the enemy. In this case, cowardice is a synonym. Only a cowardly person could, without a twinge of conscience, stand in line with his enemies. Shvabrin is an immoral person for whom the word “honor” is not meaningful.
A person spends his entire life fighting his fears. Overcoming them helps to reach new heights in life, as well as receive a high definition of “brave”. Otherwise, you are constantly faced with some kind of restrictions, something interferes and does not allow you to open up, and you are just a coward. The theme of courage and cowardice, the fight against one’s fears and its outcome has interested many writers. L.N. was no exception. Tolstoy, who reflected many important moral themes in his main novel, including this one. In this article we list the arguments in the direction of “Courage and Cowardice” from the work “War and Peace”.
1) An example of true courage is a minor but striking character - artillery staff captain Tushin. In ordinary life, he is a modest and shy person with incredibly kind eyes. In battle, he gains decisiveness, boldly takes command and assumes responsibility. During the Battle of Shengraben, the battery under the leadership of Tushin accomplished a real feat: the soldiers set fire to the village of Shengraben, the French were distracted by starting to extinguish it, and the Russian troops were able to retreat. But they forgot about the battery, did not give an order to retreat, and it remained under enemy fire. Tushin did not violate the order, did not run, actively supported his subordinates, and did not hide behind their backs. The captain does not present his actions as a feat, he simply makes decisions that are consistent with his concepts of honor and morality. In battle, you need to fight to the end, says Tushin. Isn't this real courage?
2) Among the military staff and the retinue of commanders there are rarely brave people, otherwise they would go into battle. Zherkov, Bagration's adjutant, turned out to be just such a coward. The hero behaved like a buffoon, made faces, mimicked people behind their backs, trying to cheer everyone up in order to curry favor; it is not surprising that at the decisive moment he chose his interests. In the Battle of Shengraben, Zherkov received the most important order: to transmit the order to retreat to the left flank. But this hero was driving in the right direction, saw that it was dangerous, that his parody talent would not help there, and returned back. Because of Zherkov, many people died, Tushin’s battery and Timokhin’s company were left without support. Cowardice can bring harm not only to the person himself, but also be dangerous to others, which is why it must be eradicated in oneself.
3) Cowardice and courage can manifest themselves not only in military, but also in peaceful life. Anatoly Kuragin represents luxurious cowardice dressed in a beautiful wrapper. He is noble, rich, handsome, well educated, but he is a stupid, depraved rake who is only interested in fun and women. It is in relation to them that his cowardice manifests itself to a greater extent. He is secretly married to an unknown Polish girl, but he is afraid to admit this to society, and especially to Natasha Rostova, whom he almost seduced. Secret meetings, escape, secret marriage - all these factors are already alarming and show his mental poverty and reluctance to take responsibility for his actions. Cowardice is a faithful companion of meanness, this can be seen in the example of Anatole, which is why it is important to fight this quality.
4) Andrei Bolkonsky is one of L.N.’s favorite heroes. Tolstoy, therefore he combines the best qualities of a person, although he is not without shortcomings. Andrei literally runs to the war with Napoleon in 1805, fleeing the suffocating light, an unsuccessful marriage, and disappointment in life. The hero liked Napoleon, he wanted to become famous like him, to wait for “his Toulon”, like his idol. Bolkonsky dreamed of leading his army into a hopeless battle and leading him to victory. And he really tried, took the banner and rushed forward, disregarding fear and the sense of self-preservation. After this, the hero was seriously wounded, and his relatives thought that he had died. Using Andrei’s example, the reader understands that courage is a positive quality, but it should not turn into recklessness, and the feat should not be accomplished in the name of oneself.
5) Natasha Rostova is one of the main characters of the novel. She combines the best, according to Leo Tolstoy, feminine qualities: understanding, lively, able to listen (although not always understand). However, the heroine has firmness, willpower, perseverance and courage in difficult situations. The Patriotic War of 1812 was such a situation for the girl. When the family fled Moscow, Natasha took responsibility for everything: she helped transport the wounded, and began to care for the dying Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. She did not perform feats, did not lead troops, but her actions were no less courageous. After all, not everyone can linger for the sake of strangers under the threat of death; seeing a person die, and you cannot help, requires a lot of courage. Using Natasha’s example, the reader understands that you can be brave not only on the battlefield, but also in everyday life.
Interesting? Save it on your wall!
Few human vices have received as many criticisms and serious accusations as cowardice. Sometimes it is easier to say about yourself “scoundrel” than to admit that it is more consistent with reality - “coward”.
This is not surprising, for cowardice is the characteristic of the soul that we find it most difficult to admit; and how can one dare to make such a revelation, if cowardice presupposes precisely a complete inability to truthfully admit one’s shortcomings... after all, such a confession is frightening!
What is Cowardice and who is a Coward? Definitions
Cowardice is a criminal weakness based on fear. Why exactly criminal weakness? Because a coward is capable of committing almost any crime because of his fear.
Cowardice can also be defined as the inability to take necessary and responsible actions at a moment of certain danger due to fear. Let's take a closer look:
A coward is a slave to his fear, a person weak in spirit and will. If a person is a slave to fear, this means that he has completely surrendered to it, does not control himself (is not able to think with his head and make decisions), but obeys his fear 100%.
They say: “We always despise a coward and a traitor!” Why? Because if a person is a coward, then he is, in fact, a potential traitor and criminal; out of fear, he can deceive, frame, slander, betray, even abandon his child or a woman in danger, and much more. etc.
How does a Coward differ from a normal person who is afraid, in whom there is fear?
A worthy or simply normal person who is afraid is not capable of committing terrible crimes (deception, slander, betrayal, murder) because of fear, that is, he is able to overcome or at least control his fear. He has moral and ethical restrictions (principles) in his Soul that will not allow him to commit a criminal act out of fear.
A coward is like an animal driven by fear, in the power of which he does not understand anything and does everything to save his own skin, often at the expense of evil committed against others. Therefore, a coward is always despised, and cowardice is a shameful quality that evokes only contempt and disgust.
But since fear lives in almost every person, this line between cowardice and ordinary fear is often very thin, and until you find yourself in an extreme situation, it is difficult to understand whether you are a coward or not.
If, even despite fear, you are able to do what you have to do, fulfill your duty, act with dignity, that is, embrace fear and overcome it for a good purpose - you are not a coward, you are a worthy person!
I hope I will make you happy if I say that everything can be treated, and fear can be eliminated, and a coward can re-educate himself, becoming a worthy person and even a fearless warrior.
What should we replace Cowardice and Fear with?
Cowardice is replaced by self-control and subjugation of your fear! With the help of your mind and will, the right decisions and attitude, you need to learn to keep fear in a cage like a mad dog, always under your thumb, tightly controlling it. So that he is your slave, and not you his weak-willed servant.
Fear itself is replaced by such valiant qualities as Fearlessness and Courage. It is inherent in the best people of history and modernity: Warriors, Knights, Officers, Samurai, Spartans, Legionnaires, Rulers and simply strong and worthy men and women.
There is a beautiful saying: “A warrior dies only once and always with dignity, a coward dies thousands of times, every time he is afraid, and he always dies like a cowardly jackal.”
How to get rid of Cowardice? Algorithm
The work will consist of two parts:
Learn to overcome and control your fear. Essentially, stop being afraid of your fear and become its master, begin to subjugate it to yourself, your will, your spirit.
And after that, you can remove the fear itself and work directly with its causes.
Algorithm and practical steps:
1. It's always motivation. Create a motivation that will give you the strength and energy to go through this work on yourself to the end, to victory. Let me remind you that we always work with motivation in writing:
- Write a detailed list of at least 30 points - what troubles await you and what you will lose if you remain a slave to your fear, a coward, throughout your life. You must be clearly and clearly aware of all the negative consequences of your weakness and really want to get rid of it.
- Write down at least 30 reasons and reasons that are most important to you - what you will gain, what you will get rid of, who you can become, how your life will change if you become brave, get rid of cowardice and learn to conquer your fear.
This is a very important task that needs to be completed first.
2. You must fully believe that you can get rid of cowardice, stop beating yourself up and destroying yourself because of this shortcoming. To do this, I bring you a combined text from the book “47 Principles of the Ancient Samurai or the Leader’s Code.” This is your attitude, read it completely and more than once:
Samurai Code of Honor. How cowardice is overcome
Some calculations from the texts of the Ancient Samurai, on the basis of which the highest leaders of Japan have been training for 700 years.
“It is important to realize that the one from whom not even a name remains and the one who became famous throughout the centuries fell, experiencing the same pain when their heads were cut off by the enemy. But if death is imminent, the leader's task should be to die in an act of great valor capable of defeating both comrades and enemies.
How different this is from the fate of a coward, who is last in battle and first in flight. During an attack on the fortress, he is shielded by his comrades as a shield from the enemy. Struck, he falls and suffers a dog's death, and his comrades walk over his body. This is the greatest shame and should never be forgotten.
The main principle of a leader: right and wrong
If a Warrior knows how to achieve the first and avoid the second, then he will choose the unmistakable path of a leader. Understanding the essence of the phenomenon, we will see that it all comes down to cowardice.
As an example, consider an ancient battle. Those who are born brave will see nothing special in fighting under a hail of arrows and bullets. Devoted to fidelity and duty, he will expose his breast to the fire of the enemy and mount the enemy, showing in his magnificent valor an indescribably wonderful example. There is someone whose knees tremble and whose heart trembles, but he wonders: how can he act honorably in the midst of all the dangers?
And he continues to participate in the battle because he is ashamed to be the only one who hesitates in the face of his comrades. Thus he strengthens his resolve, and he will attack the enemy along with those who are brave by nature. And although at first he is weaker than the brave man, but after some repetitions of such experience he gets used to it and begins to follow the example of one born brave; in his exploits he grows into a Warrior, not inferior to one who was born fearless from the beginning.
So, in order to do the right thing, and in order to gain valor, there is no other way than the one that goes through a sense of shame and a clear conscience.
And when the time of our physical death comes, it will seem that only a moment has passed after reading these words. And by what code will we live in the short moments that follow?”
I hope this text inspired you as much as it did me :)
Therefore, the second thing you need to do is set a goal for yourself to learn to overcome your fear, turn your face to it, walk, step on it. This is a constant training in which your courage and fearlessness grow, and your cowardice melts before your eyes. Start doing what you are afraid of, but not with your greatest fear, and let you have the first positive experience in overcoming your fear, and in gaining initial control over it, so that you feel and believe - “Yes, I can do this!”
Final essay on literature 2018. Topic of the final essay on literature. "Courage and cowardice."
FIPI comment: This direction is based on a comparison of opposite manifestations of the human “I”: readiness for decisive actions and the desire to hide from danger, to avoid resolving difficult, sometimes extreme life situations. The pages of many literary works present both heroes capable of bold actions and characters demonstrating weakness of spirit and lack of will.
1. Courage and cowardice as abstract concepts and properties of a person (in the broad sense). Within this section, you can reflect on the following topics: Courage and cowardice as personality traits, as two sides of the same coin. Courage/cowardice as personality traits determined by reflexes. True and false courage/cowardice. Courage as a manifestation of excessive self-confidence. Courage and risk taking. Courage/cowardice and self-confidence. The connection between cowardice and selfishness. The difference between rational fear and cowardice. The connection between courage and philanthropy, philanthropy, etc.
2. Courage/cowardice in minds, souls, characters. In this section, you can reflect on the concepts of willpower, fortitude, the ability to say no, the courage to stand up for your ideals, the courage needed to stand up for what you believe in. You can also talk about cowardice, as the inability to defend one’s ideals and principles. Courage or cowardice when making decisions. Courage and cowardice when accepting something new. Courage and cowardice when trying to leave your comfort zone. The courage to admit the truth or admit your mistakes. The influence of courage and cowardice on the formation of personality. Contrasting two types of people.
3. Courage/cowardice in life. Pettiness, inability to show courage in a specific life situation.
4. Courage/cowardice in war and in extreme conditions. War exposes the most basic human fears. In war, a person is able to display previously unknown character traits. Sometimes a person surprises himself by showing heroism and unprecedented fortitude. And sometimes even good people, contrary to their expectations, show cowardice. The concepts of heroism, feat, as well as desertion, betrayal, etc. are associated with courage/cowardice within this section.
5. Courage and cowardice in love.
COURAGE– a positive moral-volitional personality trait, manifested as determination, fearlessness, courage when performing actions associated with risk and danger. Courage allows a person to overcome, through volitional efforts, the fear of something unknown, complex, new and achieve success in achieving a goal. It is not for nothing that this quality is highly revered by the people: “God controls the brave,” “The city takes courage.” It is also revered as the ability to speak the truth (“Dare to have your own judgment”). Courage allows you to face the “truth” and objectively assess your capabilities, not to be afraid of darkness, loneliness, water, heights and other difficulties and obstacles. Courage provides a person with a sense of self-worth, a sense of responsibility, security, and reliability of life.
Synonyms: courage, determination, courage, heroism, enterprise, self-reliance, self-confidence, energy; presence, uplifting spirit; spirit, courage, desire (to tell the truth), audacity, boldness; fearlessness, fearlessness, fearlessness, fearlessness; fearlessness, determination, daring, heroism, courage, riskiness, desperation, audacity, innovation, daring, audacity, audacity, daring, poverty, valor, novelty, courage, masculinity.
COWARDLY - one of the expressions of cowardice; a negative, moral quality that characterizes the behavior of a person who is unable to perform actions that meet moral requirements (or, conversely, refrain from immoral actions) due to the inability to overcome fear of natural or social forces. T. can be a manifestation of calculating selfishness, when it is based on fears of incurring unfavorable consequences, someone’s anger, fear of losing existing benefits or social position. It can also be subconscious, a manifestation of spontaneous fear of unknown phenomena, unknown and uncontrollable social and natural laws. In both cases, T. is not just an individual property of the psyche of a particular person, but a social phenomenon. It is associated either with selfishness, rooted in the psychology of people over the centuries-old history of private property, or with the powerlessness and depressed position of a person generated by a state of alienation (even fear of natural phenomena develops into T. only under certain conditions of social life and the corresponding upbringing of a person). Communist morality condemns terrorism because it leads to immoral actions: dishonesty, opportunism, unprincipledness, deprives a person of the ability to be a fighter for a just cause, and entails connivance with evil and injustice. The communist education of the individual and the masses, the involvement of people in active participation in building the society of the future, man's awareness of his place in the world, his purpose and capabilities, and his submission to natural and social laws contribute to the gradual eradication of terrorism from the life of individuals and society as a whole.
Synonyms: timidity, timidity, cowardice, suspiciousness, indecision, hesitation, fear; apprehension, fear, shyness, cowardice, timidity, fearfulness, capitulation, cowardice, cowardice.
Quotes for the final essay 2018 in the direction of “Courage and Cowardice.”
Be bold with the truth
He who dared ate (and mounted a horse)
Courage is the beginning of victory. (Plutarch)
Courage, bordering on recklessness, contains more madness than fortitude. (M. Cervantes)
When you are afraid, act boldly, and you will avoid the worst troubles. (G. Sachs)
To be completely devoid of courage, one must be completely devoid of desires. (Helvetius K.)
It is easier to find people who voluntarily go to death than those who patiently endure pain. (Yu. Caesar)
He who is courageous is brave. (Cicero)
There is no need to confuse courage with arrogance and rudeness: there is nothing more dissimilar both in its source and in its result. (J.J. Rousseau)
Excessive courage is the same vice as excessive timidity. (B. Johnson)
Courage, which is based on prudence, is not called recklessness, but the exploits of a reckless person should rather be attributed to simple luck than to his courage. (M. Cervantes)
In battle those most exposed to danger are those who are most possessed by fear; courage is like a wall. (Sallust)
Courage replaces fortress walls. (Sallust)
To be brave means to consider everything that is scary as distant and everything that inspires courage as close. (Aristotle)
Heroism is an artificial concept, because courage is relative. (F. Bacon)
Others show courage without having it, but there is no person who would demonstrate wit if he were not naturally witty. (J. Halifax)
Real courage rarely comes without stupidity. (F. Bacon)
Ignorance makes people bold, but reflection makes people indecisive. (Thucydides)
Knowing in advance what you want to do gives you courage and ease. (D. Diderot)
It is not for nothing that courage is considered the highest virtue - after all, courage is the key to other positive qualities. (W. Churchill)
Courage is resistance to fear, not the absence of it. (M. Twain)
Happy is he who boldly takes under his protection what he loves. (Ovid)
Creativity requires courage. (A. Matisse)
It takes a lot of courage to bring bad news to people. (R. Branson)
The success of science is a matter of time and courage of mind. (Voltaire)
To use your own reason requires remarkable courage. (E. Burke)
Fear can make a daredevil timid, but it gives courage to the indecisive. (O. Balzac)
A person fears only what he does not know; knowledge conquers all fear. (V. G. Belinsky)
A coward is more dangerous than any other person; he should be feared most of all. (L. Berne)
There is nothing worse than fear itself. (F. Bacon)
Cowardice can never be moral. (M. Gandhi)
A coward only makes threats when he is sure of safety. (I. Goethe)
You can never live happily when you are always trembling with fear. (P. Holbach)
Cowardice is very harmful because it keeps the will from useful actions. (R. Descartes)
We consider a coward to be a coward who allows his friend to be insulted in his presence. (D. Diderot)
Cowardice in its prime turns into cruelty. (G. Ibsen)
He who fearfully worries about losing his life will never rejoice in it. (I. Kant)
The difference between a brave man and a coward is that the first, aware of the danger, does not feel fear, and the second feels fear, not realizing the danger. (V. O. Klyuchevsky)
Cowardice is knowing what you should do and not doing it. (Confucius)
Fear makes the smart stupid and the strong weak. (F. Cooper)
A fearful dog barks more than he bites. (Curtius)
More soldiers always die when fleeing than in battle. (S. Lagerlöf)
Fear is a bad teacher. (Pliny the Younger)
Fear arises due to the powerlessness of the spirit. (B. Spinoza)
Scared - half defeated. (A.V. Suvorov)
Cowards speak most about courage, and scoundrels speak most about nobility. (A.N. Tolstoy)
Cowardice is inertia that prevents us from asserting our freedom and independence in relationships with others. (I. Fichte)
Cowards die many times before death, the brave die only once. (W. Shakespeare)
To be afraid of love means to be afraid of life, and to be afraid of life means to be two-thirds dead. (Bertrand Russell)
Love doesn't go well with fear. (N. Machiavelli)
You cannot love either the one you fear or the one who fears you. (Cicero)
Courage is like love: it needs to be fueled by hope. (N. Bonaparte)
Perfect love casts out fear, because in fear there is torment; he who fears is not perfect in love. (Apostle John)