Ruth deutschmann

Benjamin Epp

Wien

2008-04-29

Sylvia Manning - Baumgartner

Nicole D´Incecco

2008

I would like to say: He is a hero who conquers his fear and in spite of his fear does what he believes to be right. I also believe that no one can always be a hero. I differentiate between courage and bravery. Bravery is conquering fear. Courage can be manifested and be possible in different situations. It requires a certain physical and mental ability. You have to be able to assess the danger and then have the courage to overcome the fear that it provokes. Someone who is courageous and heroic in a certain situation might be cowardly in a different one, not able to find the right incentive, so to say, to be courageous. If you have convictions and reject behavioural norms or ideologies on principle, it is only natural that you rebel against them if they occur. That is absolutely clear but it is, let's say, more an intellectual process. But obviously emotional processes and life experiences influence your beliefs. But instead of dismissing people who were cowardly you have to understand them and call attention to the ones who found the possibility to do the right thing at the right time. It's not always possible for everyone to do the right thing in life, only in certain situations. I always use the following example ? I remember when we were deployed to the Barents Sea front as back up. We were young soldiers and were picked up by a staff sergeant. That was near ? well near Murmansk. Suddenly artillery fire started. The staff sergeant was the first to throw himself on the ground. All of us laughed at him for lying down because of a bit of cannon thunder. Because some said he was cowardly he responded: "No. That's not cowardice. You are the dumb ones who remain standing. You have to have the courage to be cowardly if you want to stay alive. For the final victory a healthy lance corporal is more important than a dead major." (laughs) I remember his words exactly. That's the gist of it. He knew the danger. He heard the shots and knew that something was going to happen. We thought it was only stage thunder. I believe that is a bit - it proves that courage also means being cowardly sometimes. There's no doubt about that.