FORTITUDE

“Fortitude is the marshal of thought, the armour of the will, andthe fort of reason.” —Francis Bacon ”Instrugglingwithmisfortunesliesthe trueproof of virtue.” —Shakespeare. “Fortitude is the guard and support of the other virtues.” —Locke. “The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials” —Confucius

Thesequotationsand manysimilaronesexpress a commonidea in different forms.They saythat fortitude, courage, endurance or bravery acts as a guardian and protector of other human virtues. Aristotlementionsfortitude as the means by which men can control theirfear of death. Soldiersoften face threats to life in battle fields. As Archibald B.C. Alexander puts it: “Death is truly the limit to human existence: for, though the soul be immortal, the being of flesh and blood, that we call man, is dissolvedindeath,and,apart from supernatural hope of the resurrection,extinct forever.”Fortitude enables one to contain this fear by the dictate of the reason. Soldiers without fortitude will desert

the battle field. In one sense, reason asserts that there are better things than life and things worse than death for men of honour. Fortitude is a mean between fear and rashness; cowardice leads one to fear, and daring to rashness. Fortitude moderates the two opposing tendencies.

Life is precious and should not be lightly thrown away or risked for trivial or ignoble ends. The courageous person is circumspect. It is not that the brave man fears no danger; he rather controls the fear in his mind through rational means. The recklessness of an angry man is not fortitude. It is also not fortitude to be brave from ignorance and folly. The brave man faces real danger in full consciousness of its gravity, but goes on in pursuit of duty or a noble cause. Older philosophers regarded magnificence, magnanimity and patience as parts of fortitude. Of these, patience can still be considered as part of endurance. But magnificence and magnanimity are seldom mentioned in modern discussions of fortitude.

Fortitude is not a virtue relevant only to warlike situations. Christian writers mention fortitude in the context of saints who have become martyrs defending their faith. In this regard, we should recall with reverence the martyrdom of some Sikh gurus. In modern times, voluntary workers sometimes perish while rushing to the aid of others in danger. In fact anyone risking life in line of duty or in order to relieve others from affliction shows fortitude. Fortitude can be shown by ordinary people in manysituations of life. Manypeople - likesincere teachers, nurses and many others - servesociety silently with little recognition and few rewards. Their services are also heroic. “Life is a battle, and there are other objects for which a man must contend than those peculiar to a military calling.”

Fortitude is one of the four cardinal virtues which Plato and Aristotle identified – the others being wisdom, temperance (self-control) and justice. Plato identified three aspects of human nature and paired each, as shown below, with a particular cardinal virtue.

While the above virtues relate to an individual’s own personality, the virtue of justice pertains to his interactions as a social being with others. These virtues are considered essential in any rational conception of human life. They are necessary for the goodness of human character.

Courage acts as shield of other virtues. In its absence, they are rendered nugatory or become nothing. Suppose an innocent passenger in a train is being harassed by some goons. One may want to rush to his support in a kindly spirit. But, then cowardice may intervene and urge against running any risk. These occurrences are not infrequent on the trains and streets of Indian cities. In such situations, the kindly sentiment simply gets stifled in the absence of courage or fortitude. Hence, Locke observes: “Fortitude is the guard and support of the other virtues”. This is also the meaning of Bacon’s observation that fortitude is the armour of the will. Although one may have noble intentions, one needs courage to act on them. Shakespeare’s observation refers to the virtue of fortitude in its meaning as endurance. The true test of this virtue lies in bearing one’s

misfortunes without complaint and coping with them. Confucius says that an individual acquires strength of character by manfully facing difficulties and struggling against odds.

In administrativesituations,civilservantsneedto havemoralcourageor the courage of conviction. They should display firm resolve, and adhere to rules, norms and follow courses of action that promote public welfare. They should not yield to illegal pressures or allow themselves to be won over by inducements. Nor should they yield to subtle threats or intimidation. This is easier said than done, especially since there are so many alluring prospects for civil servants. In the recent past, many instances have come to light in which the guardians of public welfare have decided to close their eyes to obvious wrongdoing. This shows that it is not enough to mouth high-minded moral sentiments; they have to be acted upon with necessary courage of conviction.