The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXXIII

MASON FINN
FAITH SMITH, TEACHER
South Boston Catholic Academy, Boston, MA
Courage can vary from mind to mind, country to country, culture to culture,
and language to language. In my opinion, the definition of courage should be
the mental, emotional, and sometimes physical toughness to adapt and react
quickly in a calm or brave manner, regardless of what is perceived as
dangerous, or different, or difficult.
One time I showed courage was when I assisted an elderly man who had fallen
down. I was walking down the street, coming home from a long day at school.
We were walking normally when we all of a sudden spotted an elderly man who
had lost his balance and was physically unable to get up and walk. Others may
not have seen him or may have just been ignoring him. My best friend and I,
without hesitation, ran across the street to assist the aged man. We nearly got
struck by a vehicle, but we continued. Once we reached the downed man, we
started asking if he was injured. He said that he was completely fine but just
needed help getting up. We started to help him up, and he was able to stand
up on his own, but just in case, we still stayed by his side to prevent him from
falling down again. Thankfully, some people he knew recognized him and
drove him home safely.
“YOU CAN’T CONTROL
HOW MANY THINGS
YOU DO THAT TAKE
COURAGE, BUT WHAT
YOU CAN CONTROL
IS HOW WELL
YOU HANDLE THE
LITTLE MOMENTS,
EVEN IF THEY SEEM
UNIMPORTANT.”
I know that this is a story that may seem insignificant or minor, but it was a
time when I realized that I had the automatic reaction to help somebody who
was in need of serious help. I always thought if I was in a situation like this, I
would freeze and not know what to do. Even though it was a moment of shock
and nervousness, I still was able to make the right decision and help somebody
who was in desperate need of it. You know what they say: “It’s the little things
that count.”
Since that day, I have more confidence that I will truly make the right decisions
for both others and myself. It also has proven to me that I am indeed brave and
can do hard things. It makes me look at myself just a little bit differently.
I know it may not seem like much, but a lot of little things can add up. The sum
of all of those “little” things you do eventually become a big part of who you
are as a person. You can’t control how many things you do that take courage,
but what you can control is how well you handle the little moments, even if they
seem unimportant.
THE COURAGE OF CHILDREN: BOSTON AND BEYOND
VOLUME XXXIII
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