In the Kingdom of Scairdeecaticus, a strange belief took root. The people of this land came to believe that courage was too difficult a virtue to practice, and so they decided to abandon the use of it throughout the kingdom.

At first, all were overjoyed that they no longer had to do things that were difficult or scary. “After all,” they reasoned, “sometimes it is easier to be afraid and not have to do things that require bravery.”

They had forgotten that even ordinary, daily actions required courage.

For a short while things went swimmingly—that is, until many of the fishermen admitted to being scared of water as some could not swim, so they refused to continue fishing. These fishermen also refused to learn how to swim, as they feared drowning in the process. Schools began to empty as children dropped out of classes for subjects and skills they found difficult to learn. After all, courage was required to face new learning challenges. Teachers, too, started to leave off teaching, saying that they were afraid that their students would not care for the subject matter or would not learn.

The constables decided that they no longer wanted to enforce the law, as they might be injured while chasing the crooks. And the King of Scairdeecaticus refused to judge those who had committed crimes, as he feared that the criminals he punished might take revenge on him. And the king’s soldiers decided that they would not guard the land, as doing so required them to seek out fearsome creatures, and they would rather not.

Soon, large trolls made their way to this kingdom that was ripe for the taking, and since everyone in Scairdeecaticus was very afraid of the trolls, all the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Scairdeecaticus fled. And that was the sad end of the Kingdom of Scairdeecaticus.

We may laugh at this story and think that no people would be so silly as to banish the practice of courage, but at some point, we have all faced situations where we had to decide to be brave or cowardly.

It is normal to be afraid at times. We all have fears to overcome, and we each have faced or will face difficult situations where we must act with courage regardless of personal preference or peer pressure. But, unlike the citizens of Scairdeecaticus who refused to face their fears, we must realize that doing right and doing good will often require us to face our fears and practice courage. If we refuse to act with courage, our lives may be overrun with bad habits or bad deeds.

Just think:

Can you recognize the importance of courage in your life and the world around you? Without courage the world would be filled with bad habits and bad deeds as people would be too afraid and fearful to act right and do good.

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Copyright TFI. Used by permission.