What is the role of strong emotions, especially fear, in heroism?
All truly heroic behavior has an element of fear or any strong, disruptive emotion. This emotion is evidence that the actor knows the real or potential cost of the action. The firefighters who rushed up the steps in the World Trade Center must have been afraid. Their hearts must have been beating fast from more than the physical exertion. Yet up the steps they went. Heroes recognize risk, feel afraid, and manage their fear. Fear is a natural, healthy response to a threat. Fear is a good emotion. It warns us of danger and enables us to protect ourselves more effectively. Courage and fear can exist simultaneously. The most important battleground is in the hero’s heart and mind. Fear urges the feet to flee while courage appeals to standing firm. It is within us that courage is won or lost. There is a battlefield saying that the only difference between a hero and a fool is fear. The hero feels fear, and acts anyway. The fool simply acts. A heroic act is one taken in spite of fear, not in i
