From the Scout Handbook - "A Scout is brave. A Scout can face danger although he is afraid. He has the courage to stand for what he thinks is right even if others laugh at him or threaten him." I wonder, have I ever been brave during my lifetime? What things have I done so far that might be considered brave? I was a Cub Scout long ago and promised to be brave and obedient and all the rest of the things that go with the Scout Promise… I remember one time driving home after midnight. I came across another man who had fallen off his bike and had hit his head on the curb when he fell over. The man was obviously intoxicated but he was bleeding quite profusely, so I applied pressure to his head and was able to calm him down and convince him to wait until the ambulance came to get him. It didn’t seem like a really brave thing to do then, it just seemed like the right thing to do. I think bravery can be many things, sometimes just doing the right thing can take bravery, sometimes taking a stand for what you believe in no matter what other people may think can also be considered a brave thing to do.
Bravery demonstrated
You're brave when you speak the truth, and when you make a mistake to admit publicly that you were wrong, that is a brave thing to do. Bravery can be shown by defending the rights of others, even those whom you may not know well. A news article from Texas had a great story of bravery being lived out. Heavy June rains in North Benbrook, Texas, near Ft. Worth, had turned a local concrete drainage ditch into a roaring torrent. Seeing the two-foot-deep jet of water as an opportunity rather than a threat, Clay Yandell, 10, climbed in and quickly was knocked off his feet and carried down the ditch. An instant later, the boy’s legs were dragged under a broken piece of concrete and pinned with a buried pile of brush. Scout Rudd Long, 16, saw Clay being carried down the ditch and then trapped underwater. At the risk of his own life, he jumped into the ditch and as he did, called to a friend to get help. Unable to pull the boy free, and fighting the pressure of the roaring water, Rudd lifted Clay’s head momentarily above the surface and gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He continued to do so, often having to go under the surface himself to give Clay the breath of life—all while the water pounded against them. A neighbor arrived and, with Rudd, tried to divert the water away from Clay, but with little success. Meanwhile, young Clay began to drift into unconsciousness. About this time, the boy’s mother arrived. Seeing her son drowning, she too jumped into the canal only to be swept off her feet. She had to be dragged out. After a half-hour, a group of local men reached the scene. Tying a rope around Clay, they managed to pull the boy out of the trap. The men despaired that they were too late—that Clay had already drowned. But Rudd refused to give up, he continued his artificial respiration until Clay was loaded into the ambulance and put on a mechanical respirator. He made the right choice: young Clay Yandell survived.
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Becoming Braver
We all wish we could be a little braver, but fear can still work its way into our day to day activities. It keeps us from taking action, progressing at school, and can cause us to put off doing what we know we should do. Here are a few ways to boost your bravery and take every day on with courage. Bravery is mental toughness, knowledge, and confidence all wrapped up in one trait. With bravery, you can make tough decisions, take action without wasting time, and approach uncomfortable situations more comfortably. You need bravery when you take on new tasks at school, confront others who may not agree with you. When you become braver, you become more capable of taking action and handling almost anything that may come your way.