Late last night I was on a 5-way conference call with fellow officers from the UNMEE & the IA. Topic of discussion - the Kargil war. The words bravery and courage were being thrown in left, right and center. That got me thinking - bravery and courage - two words - one meaning? There's got to be a difference right? [I blame this 'thinking' on the chip implanted in my head by my kidnappers from Jupiter]. Within 30 seconds of this thought crossing my mind I was off the conference and on Google.
Now, both bravery and courage are acts of valor and imply a certain strength and fearlessness. There is, however, a subtle difference in the meanings. Courage comes from the French word coeur, meaning heart. It's a quality of character that allows one to carry through with a difficult PREMEDITATED plan of action. Bravery on the other hand, comes from the Spanish word bravado, meaning a SINGLE / SPONTANEOUS act of valor. It's not planned...just a knee-jerk reaction that often occurs within a crisis.
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