In the minds of every person is the idea that war is scary. Perhaps any of us has the right to fear, being in the thick of hostilities, but there are those who show the strength of their character and behave courageously and courageously on the battlefield. But what is true courage in war? How does it manifest?
It is important to understand that not every fighter is brave. And even one who seeks to fight may not be brave for real - his simulated courage will turn out to be just a touch of vanity. For example, Prince Andrey from Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel “War and Peace” during his first battle is a model of not at all courage, on the contrary, his behavior is an example of youthful maximalism, the pursuit of glory. To be brave, you need to understand what you risk; Andrei is blinded by the desire to become famous, he does not realize until the end of his actions, he does not understand what all this can lead to. He is no longer driven by a noble desire to save his homeland, but by a desire to arouse admiration. Therefore, after the battle of Austerlitz and a serious injury, he completely rethinks his attitude to life.
The heroine of the later work of the Soviet writer Elena Ilyina “Fourth Height”, Gulya Koroleva, also becomes a participant in hostilities. During the Great Patriotic War, she enters the Sisters of Mercy. However, she wants to be at the forefront in one of the decisive battles - while she is not driven by vanity at all. She has no desire to become famous in her thoughts - all that the heroine thinks about is how to benefit her homeland and protect her from the enemy. At the same time, Gulya understands how much she risks, she is afraid of death and does not want to die. She simply steps over herself, is ready to sacrifice herself for the benefit of others. Therefore, we see that her behavior is bearing fruit, her role in the battle is really important, although not noticeable.
Courage is inseparable from the highest goal for which it appears in the soul. If there is no higher goal to do something for the benefit of others, and not for your own sake, is there courage? Not. Therefore, real courage during the war means a desire to do something for others, sincerely, and not because of the thirst for glory. The main thing is to be aware of what you are risking. Courage in war is defeated fear in the name of saving the homeland.
