しかし男女を問わず,あらゆる形の勇気は,軍人において肉体的な勇気が称賛されるのと同様に,称賛されなければならない。肉体的な勇気が若者たちに普通に見いだされるという事実は,勇気は,それを求める世論に応じて生み出されるという一つの証拠である。もっと勇気があれば,心配ごとはより少なくなり,それゆえ,疲労もより少なくなるだろう。というのも,今日の男女が苦しんでいる神経疲労の大部分は,意識的なあるいは無意識的な恐怖によるものだからである。 |
One of the matters in which modern morality is most defective is this question of fear. It is true that physical courage, especially in war, is expected of men, but other forms of courage are not expected of them, and no form of courage is expected of women. A woman who is courageous has to conceal the fact if she wishes men to like her. The man who is courageous in any matter except physical danger is also thought ill of. Indifference to public opinion, for example, is regarded as a challenge, and the public does what it can to punish the man who dares to flout its authority. All this is quite opposite to what it should be. Every form of courage, whether in men or women, should be admired as much as physical courage is admired in a soldier. The commonness of physical courage among young men is a proof that courage can be produced in response to a public opinion that demands it. Given more courage there would be less worry, and therefore less fatigue; for a very large proportion of the nervous fatigues from which men and women suffer at present are due to fears, conscious or unconscious. |