Three Stories of Courage
What is courage? It’s the capacity to speak up, stand up, and never give up in the face of insurmountable obstacles and fear.
Malala
In 2012, Malala Yousafzai was a 15-year-old girl in Pakistan’s Swat Valley who dared to believe in something radical—that girls should have the right to an education. Growing up under the shadow of the Taliban, she knew that advocating for education meant risking her life, but she refused to be silent.
Malala had been writing and speaking publicly about the importance of education since she was 11, despite the increasing threats against her. The Taliban had banned girls from going to school, but Malala continued attending—and speaking out.
One fateful day, as she rode the bus home from school, a masked gunman boarded the vehicle, called out her name, and shot her in the head at point-blank range. Incredibly, the bullet missed her brain. She survived the attack, and after extensive medical treatment, she recovered.
Instead of being silenced by fear, she became even louder. She used her voice on the global stage, advocating for girls' education everywhere. In 2014, at just 17 years old, she became the youngest-ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Malala’s courage was not in the absence of fear—she knew the risks, understood the consequences, and stood firm. Even after an attempt on her life, she didn’t retreat in bitterness or fear. Instead, she forgave her attackers and doubled down on her mission.
Like Malala, we are sometimes called to stand for what is right, even when opposition seems overwhelming. Courage is not just for the battlefield—it is for the classroom, the workplace, and our daily lives. It is for any moment where speaking the truth, standing firm, or pressing forward comes at a cost.
Shackleton and The Endurance
Imagine being trapped on a frozen sea, thousands of miles from civilization, with no rescue in sight. That was the reality for Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 27 men when their ship, Endurance, became trapped in Antarctic ice in 1915.
The ice slowly crushed the ship for months, forcing the men to abandon it and camp on the floating ice. Temperatures plummeted, food supplies dwindled, and hope seemed lost. But Shackleton refused to surrender to fear—his mission was simple: "Every man comes home alive."
After nearly a year of survival on the ice, Shackleton made a bold and desperate decision. He and five others set out in a tiny open boat, crossing 800 miles of the most treacherous ocean in the world, enduring hurricane-force winds and monstrous waves, to reach a whaling station on South Georgia Island.
Against impossible odds, they made it. Shackleton immediately organized a rescue for the rest of his crew. Not a single man was lost.
Shackleton's story is a testament to courage, leadership, and perseverance in the face of overwhelming fear. He had every reason to give up, but he chose resilience—and because of his courage, his entire crew survived.
The Tiananmen Tank Man
One of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century captures a moment of pure, unshakable courage. On June 5, 1989, the day after the Chinese government’s violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, a lone man stood in front of a column of heavily armed tanks.
Wearing a simple white shirt and holding only shopping bags, he blocked the tanks’ path. The lead tank tried to maneuver around him, but he stepped directly back into its way. At one point, he even climbed onto the tank as if pleading with the soldiers inside.
This was not a famous politician, a military leader, or a well-connected activist. It was an ordinary, unknown citizen who said, "No." His identity remains unknown, but the image of “Tank Man” has become a symbol of individual bravery in the face of immense darkness and power.
Sometimes, courage is seen in simply standing up for what is right, even when the effort appears doomed. This man likely knew the consequences of defying the government, yet he stood his ground anyway.
Each of these remarkable examples—Malala, Shackleton, and the Tank Man—reveal different dimensions of courage:
Malala shows the courage to speak out, even when your life is on the line.
Shackleton shows the courage to persevere, even when the situation seems hopeless.
Tank Man shows the courage to stand up, even when it seems like no one else will.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and don’t be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9