What Does It Mean to Be Brave?

Our Philosophy for Children (P4C) session began with a simple prompt: “To be brave is to ______.” The children spoke about facing fears, believing in oneself, taking risks, helping others, speaking the truth and doing difficult things. But very quickly, we realised that defining bravery was not quite so simple.

If someone does something difficult but isn't afraid, are they still brave? What if they face their fear while crying? Does bravery mean overcoming fear, or can fear and bravery exist together?

We looked at different situations and tried to decide whether they showed bravery. Taking up a difficult task because someone dared you, walking away from danger, staying within your safe space, or running from a life-threatening situation all made the children question whether an action alone can tell us if someone is brave.

One situation took the conversation deeper. Imagine a doctor who is afraid to perform a procedure because they don't know the technique well enough, but decides to go ahead anyway. Is the doctor brave for overcoming fear, or foolish for taking the risk? The children felt that perhaps someone could be brave and foolish at the same time.

We also wondered about people who knowingly put themselves in danger for a larger purpose or to protect someone else. They may still be deeply afraid. Does their fear make their action any less brave?

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By the end of the session, bravery had moved beyond simply “not being scared.” The children were considering fear, intention, judgement, choice and purpose. Perhaps the more interesting question is not whether we are afraid, but what we choose to do while the fear is still there.