Moral Courage

Gratitude 3/6/2026

I am grateful for the gift of a new day.
My heart is filled with gratitude for the many blessings I have.
I will appreciate the small joys and express my thanks in all circumstances.
Let my attitude of gratitude bring joy to others.

I am grateful for people who show true moral courage.

Moral courage is the will people have to take action even if they risk or fear negative consequences. Moral courage requires first recognizing that someone or something is being harmed or bullied. And then deciding what you can do about it. Acting impulsively or fanatically is rarely a display of moral courage because it is not based on thoughtful reasoning. Fighting back impulsively, seeking vengance, crushing an opponent with overwhelming force or power is NOT moral courage. Standing up to someone who is using their overwhelming power or force to intimidate or frighten people IS moral courage.

Moral courage may require physical risk if the consequences involve physical punishment. So moral courage can hurt!

Moral courage can involve very simple things like standing up for someone or something that is being bullied or threatened. Studies have shown over and over that young children simply telling a bully to stop or do something different, changes the course of action, and the aggressive behavior stops. This can take a lot of courage if there is a crowd and the bully has a lot of strength or power. Showing moral courage is the opposite of weakness. It is true power.

And people, even 98 pound weaklings, who show moral courage are the ones we admire thoughout our lives. Anyone can summon moral courage. You don’t have to be big and strong or powerful or claim to be a religious majority. In fact, sometimes those traits especially in the comfort of a mob deceive you into thinking you are right to harm, punish, or intimiate others. But you are demonstrating moral cowardice.

My dad told me of a time when he was working nights at the post office that people were really outraged about a new policy a manager implemented that made working life very difficult. Many of the workers on the line decided to get together to draft a statement about it and a solution to present to management. At the appointed time, the only people who came to the meeting was my dad and a Black guy, the two people who had the most to lose.

I have been proud of myself and others when I have shown moral courage. It isn’t always easy.

Years ago I worked with an art director who was so cruel. He was the only man in middle management and worked with teams made up of former teachers, almost all women. He would belittle and criticize people’s efforts, calling us names. Even in meetings with outside vendors he would say things like the editors working on the project were incompetent. He would say vile things like someone was pulling something out of her ass. I would try to laugh it off or redirect the conversation to focus on the project, but I was seething and dreaded engaging with this man. He spent a lot of time engratiating himself with the upper management, and many who had not seen him interact with others, thought he was just great.

I started keeping a record of incidents that had occurred so that I had evidence, that I wouldn’t be accused of just “not liking” this man. One day after a difficult meeting, a production editor and I were walking out of the room when the president of the company walked by. The production editor told him we’d like to talk with him and he invited us into his office. I screwed up my courage and calmly explained what was going on and then relayed incidents that had occurred and the production editor confirmed what I was saying.

The president thanked us and we left. Weeks went by. I noticed some small changes but my heart sank when I had to interact with this man. Then one day, an editor asked for a change, which is part of her job, and he blew up at her. I was in a meeting with the managing editor, when he started screaming at the editor, and then enraged, cursed us all and walked out. Everyone heard and knew what had happened. That production editor wrote me a note, which said, “The devil has left the building.” We never saw him again.

That experience taught me so much. This cruel bully’s managers did not have the courage to fire him for whatever reason. They knew what was happening but made excuses for him. He was “creative.” He had a lot of experience and knowledge. He had done good work. People who worked with him were able to “take it” and appreciated all his good qualities.

It’s so easy to excuse immorality, especially when it is being committed by people in power. If it is harrassment, you just try to laugh it off, or you leave, often hiding from it. It you are in a position to stop it and don’t, you can live a lifetime of shame, especially if someone is permanently damaged by it.

Examples of moral courage are all around us. So many movies and books, including High Noon, Back to the Future, A Wrinkle in Time, It’s a Wonderful Life, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Gammage Cup… hinge on moral courage.

When someone makes an effort to protect an abandoned dog, when a recreational softball team invites disabled children to play a role, even when someone makes an anonymous donation to a shelter… Those seemingly small things can make a profound difference in other people’s lives. I learned that when my aunt heard that a little boy had been robbed, she anonymously replaced the loss. I bet that is an experience that boy will never forget. It is so comforting that even if you get smacked, there are some people, even if you don’t know them, who are watching and are going to stand up for you.

Some jobs require moral courage. Many people I know including friends, my sister, and a cousin have worked in social services, fire fighting, and police work. In their jobs they have had to investigate different types of abuse and intervene to stop it.

All of these are signs of moral courage. True moral courage does not discriminate because someone is not part of their religion, tribe, or club. Might does not make right. Moral courage does.

Sometimes moral courage involves restraint and self awareness. It might be satisfying in the moment to tell someone off, to beat a dog, to fire someone on the spot, to put someone in her place, to yell at and punish a child, but controlling yourself, and taking time to think what the best solution is, is the true display of moral courage.

Examples of moral courage on a much larger scale are those non Jews like Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who saved more than a thousand refugees from the Holocaust by employing them during WWII.

Parents and teachers, grandparents, neighbors or anyone can play a role in teaching children how to show moral courage. Children who were raised with people who are models of showing respect and compassion, rather than violence, are much more likely to have moral courage as adults. Adults who demonstrate empathy, justice, fairness, love, and caring in their everyday lives develop moral courage in their children and others. Adults, even if they get angry or do the wrong thing, show moral courage when they apologize, when they admit they were wrong, and try to make amends.

Displays of moral courage make the world go round and enable people to live in peace. We are not helpless victims of the strongest, richest, or most powerful. All of us are created equal and have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. When we show moral courage and reach out to right wrongs when we see them, we maintain the balance and respect that makes life worth living.

I am so grateful for people who can rally themselves to show moral courage.