1989
Everyday Courage
November 1989


“Everyday Courage,” Tambuli, Nov. 1989, 28

Everyday Courage

It takes enduring commitment to display the kind of courage the Lord asks of us.

With the spring of 1666 came the second wave of the Black Death, the bubonic plague, to the English village of Eyam in Derbyshire. A few years before, the first onslaught of the plague had scattered residents about the countryside in a frantic effort to escape. But this time, the minister of the village church, William Mompesson, told his faithful flock that they should not run away, in case they infected others. “Stay in Eyam,” he pleaded, “to save the rest of Derbyshire.”

The minister must have been a persuasive man, for the townspeople heeded his request. A circle of stones was laid around the town as a warning boundary, and food for the villagers was left at the perimeter by outsides anxious to avoid contact.

Months went by, and the frightful disease took its toll. By the time the scourge had passed, 259 of the 350 faithful villagers were dead, including the minister’s wife. But the plague had not spread; Derbyshire was saved.

• In February of 1943, the Allied transport ship Dorchester was torpedoed in the North Atlantic. As the ship went down, four chaplains—one Catholic, one Jewish, and two Protestant—stood on deck passing out life belts. When there were no more, they gave away their own. The four chaplains were last seen standing arm-in-arm, praying.

• It looks like a typical professor’s office—windowless, with piles of books and papers. But its occupant, John A. Green, a Brigham Young University professor of French, is anything but typical. In 1981, at a relatively young age, he suffered a stroke that wiped out his memory of both French and English and left him basically paralyzed. Unable to teach, it was assumed he would never return to university life.

But John Green is an extraordinary man. Painstakingly, he began the process of relearning how to read, to walk, and to talk. Within months, he was back in his office, going over his notes, first reviewing, then resuming his research.

In the past few years, Brother Green has completed several carefully-researched volumes on French writer Marcel Schwob. Two of the volumes, part of a planned set of seven, are in print already.

Perhaps most amazing of all, Professor Green has typed every letter of every word of these books with one finger of his left hand. Every weekday, from eight A.M. to five P.M., he works quietly in his office, completing the task he has given himself—a task for which he receives no compensation beyond the disability pay he would still receive if he chose to relax at home.

The Mark of Courage

Courage is the common element in these three moving reports—courage to make hard decisions and do the right thing when doing something else would be safer, more self-indulgent, or just plain easier.

We all face challenges to our courage and commitment at times. These challenges can be difficult tests. President Thomas S. Monson, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, said at the October 1986 general conference:

“Of course we will face fear, experience ridicule, and meet opposition. Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval. Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully, but as the determination to live decently. A moral coward is one who is afraid to do what he thinks is right because others will disapprove or laugh. Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with dignity have courage as well” (General Conference, October 1986).

The courage spoken of here is not necessarily the physical bravery shown by soldiers or rescue teams who risk their own safety to protect others, or by mountain climbers who climb sheer rock walls by jamming fingers into crevices, although no one would deny that such actions require tremendous bravery.

The courage called for in the gospel is usually less visible, and it seldom makes news. It’s an unshakable commitment to live by correct principles as opposed to “going along,” to live the truth with integrity and reject anything less. This kind of commitment is resolute, bold, and confident, while at the same time quiet, unassuming, and humble.

Erroll Bennett, now a bishop in his native Tahiti, is a Latter-day Saint whose courage and commitment made a difference. At twenty-seven, Erroll was the top soccer player in Tahiti when he was introduced to the Church and was baptized, despite considerable opposition from family and sports officials.

Soccer is Tahiti’s biggest sport, and when Erroll was baptized all soccer games in the country were played on Sunday. Because of the Sunday play, Brother Bennet knew that deciding to join the Church and spend his Sundays in Church activities would mean the end of his soccer career, which was then at its height. The day after his baptism, a Sunday, Brother Bennett did not play, and he was prepared to resign his position during the coming week.

A few days later, when it was clear that Erroll Bennett meant to stand by his commitment, the league met and concluded that the long tradition of playing soccer games on Sundays was a bad idea after all. All twelve top clubs agreed to move their games to weeknights. (See Ensign, October 1982, pages 14-20.)

In a world where some celebrity heroes appear to be without any moral convictions, it’s good to hear of people like Erroll Bennett. Since one of the greatest obligations of parents and teachers is to instill in youth the courage to live the truth and withstand evil, courageous role models are necessary. I remember well the disappointment on the face of my son Matthew, then twelve, when he heard of drug charges against some of his football heroes. How much I would like him to hear about more people like Erroll Bennett!

In the past, we’ve taught our young people the valuable stories of Latter-day Saints who had courage to refuse alcohol or cigarettes or drugs in peer-pressure situations. These are important lessons, but we must also teach—and show by example—how to stand for the right in less-obvious situations.

Such a situation arose in the life of Spencer W. Kimball when he left Thatcher, Arizona, upon his call to the Council of the Twelve. Elder Kimball sought out people with whom he had had business, Church, or personal relationships and asked them if they had any concerns about his past dealings with them. If any felt he had not been fair with them, he offered to make amends with them without argument. (Edward L. Kimball and Andrew E. Kimball, Jr., Spencer W. Kimball, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1977, pages 197–98.)

Everyday Challenges

The world often subtly lures us into following the crowd. But daily living also provides us numerous opportunities for courageous decision-making. How closely does our behavior, public and private, follow Christlike standards of living taught by the gospel? How does our treatment of family members measure up? Our level of service to others? Our Sabbath observance?

Everyday issues require our best thought and our enduring commitment to gospel principles. It seems likely that our growth as courageous people doesn’t depend so much on wondering about major decisions we will probably never be called on to make as it does on our responses to routine daily questions. It isn’t “How would I behave if …” so much as “How will I behave today?” The test isn’t likely to be, “Would I give up my life belt?” It is more likely to be, “Will I treat the neighbor who damaged my property like the brother—and son of our Heavenly Father—that he really is?”

Courageous decision-making won’t always be easy; it wasn’t meant to be. As President Thomas S. Monson said:

“Life’s journey is not traveled on a freeway devoid of obstacles, pitfalls, and snares. Rather, it is a pathway marked by forks and turnings. Decisions are constantly before us. To make them wisely, courage is needed: the courage to say no, the courage to say yes. Decisions do determine destiny” (General Conference, October 1986).

Whether we are called on to give our lives for a cause, as did so many of the people of Eyam, or to give our best efforts daily in the face of difficulty, as does John Green, we determine our destiny. As we find the strength to speak up for what is right regardless of “everybody else,” we determine our destiny. As we find the strength to speak up for what is right regardless of “everybody else,” we determine our destiny. When we stand for principle, as did Erroll Bennett and the newly called Elder Spencer W. Kimball, we determine our destiny. Living the gospel courageously, in these and similar ways, will make us better people and more effective servants of the Lord, now and in the life to come.

  • Ron Woods is an administrative assistant in Brigham Young University’s College of Humanities.

Real courage is the kind that motivates Brigham Young University professor John Green. Basically paralyzed by a stroke that also wiped out his memory, he has painstakingly typed two books with the one finger he can still use. (Photography by John Snyder.)

In a world where some celebrity heroes appear to be without any moral convictions, it’s good to hear about Brother Erroll Bennet, who was prepared to give up his career as a professional soccer player so that he would not have to play on Sundays. (Photography by Michael Otterson.)