Choose Courage NOT to Use the Word “Coward”

 

Using the word “coward” (or “cowardice”) to characterize either yourself or another involves a resistance to fear and misses an opportunity for choosing courage.

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What is cowardice?

 

Let me explain. The American Heritage Dictionary defines cowardice as “Ignoble fear in the face of danger or pain.”

From both our everyday understanding of the words “coward” and “cowardice” and from the definition above, we know that whomever we might call a coward (whether ourselves or another) is engaging in a blameworthy and dishonorable action.

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To act cowardly, then, is, in some measure, to engage in a wrong, bad, immoral, sinful, evil, or unprincipled act.

 

Yet, if we strip away the judgmental connotations of the word “coward,” what remains of the denotative meaning? A “coward” is simply someone choosing to feel safe (not necessarily to be safe) in the moment, at the expense of not pursuing what they truly want or are committed to.

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Our Motive When Calling Ourselves or Another a Coward

 

When we use the word “coward” (or “wimp”), however, we are not interested in communicating this simple denotative meaning. What we are expressing is our blame and judgment toward a particular person (whether ourselves or another). In doing so, the act of placing blame by using the word “coward” is itself a resistance to fear—fear of acknowledging and embracing our own or another’s desire to feel safe and comfortable in the moment; fear of what might happen if we don’t try to change the “coward’s” behavior by blaming them. This resistance misses an important opportunity to choose courage.

 

Therefore, “coward” is a toxic word, and for the most part, we should avoid using it altogether.

 

I have coined a new term called “coverage.” Coverage is the antonym of courage. Coverage is the choice to feel safe and comfortable (not necessarily to be safe) in the moment, at the expense of not pursuing what we truly want or are committed to. There is nothing wrong with choosing coverage. We will accrue certain costs and benefits from choosing coverage, just as we will accrue different costs and benefits from choosing courage. Most often, coverage provides the benefit of feeling safe and comfortable in the moment, but at the expense of long-term safety and results.

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Explore the opportunities for choosing courage by embracing the fear in order to not call yourself or another a coward.