Last Updated on January 6, 2023
Have you ever had a moment where you suddenly felt to do something even if it frightens you? May it be a simple act of riding a roller coaster even if you detest rides or doing something extraordinary like telling someone you like them?
Doing something that scares you truly needs enormous strength and courage – and not everyone can bravely act on something despite their fear. If you are struggling with fear but is seeking change, here are stories that will inspire and teach you to work hard and find courage when hope seems lost.
Real Inspiring Stories That Takes Courage
Table of Contents
The Crusade Against FGM
Female genital mutilation, or FGM, is a cultural rite of passage from girlhood to womanhood where the external genitalia of women is partially or totally removed.
Florence Lomariwo bravely defied the traditions when she decided to fight against the norms by running away from home to avoid the procedure and her arranged marriage. In a community where education is a privilege for women, she decided to finish her studies and build a school that serves as a rescue center for girls saved from FGM and early marriage.
However, her mission is without danger. Florence angered some men wielding canes who blame her for undermining the tradition and insists on taking their “wife” out of her protection. Fortunately, violence was prevented as Florence was protected by other teachers and the police arriving in time.
As of 2019, there are 252 local children in her program that ensures education about their rights and making sure that the children’s parents are aware of the dangers of FGM.
Schindler’s List
Have you seen Stephen Spielberg’s movie “Schindler’s List”? If not, this is one example of moments where humanity, kindness, and courage wins against a world filled with fear.
The story of Oskar Schindler is famous for putting his own life on the line by saving the lives of 1,200 Jews from death during World War II. A German industrialist and a member himself of the Nazi Party, Schindler decided to acquire an enamel factory in 1939 where he employed thousands of Jews.
When sending of Jews to concentration camps became rampant, Schindler used his own fortune and influence to save his workers by bribing Nazi officials to spare his workers from deportation. By the time the war ended, he exhausted most of his fortune on bribes and providing for his staff.
The lives he saved earned him a lot of gratitude and recognition from the Jewish community and when he died, he was laid to rest in Mt. Zion in Israel – making him the only member of the Nazi party to receive such high honor.
The Chernobyl Suicide Squad
A unique disaster where a commercial nuclear power accident resulted in radiation-related fatalities, the Chernobyl disaster rescue team was truly the epitome of a courageous act. Happened in 1986, some area still remains unhabitable due to remaining radioactive particles.
After the explosion on the day of the accident, two people died instantly and followed by 28 more within the week due to radioactive poisoning. The numbers could have been more if not for the brave men: Alexi Ananenko, Valeri Bezpoalov, and Boris Baronov.
Their rescue meant sacrificing their own lives with some even calling their team the suicide squad. To avoid a graver explosion, they had to open a valve to drain the water, located on the floor that was exposed to radiation.
Wearing a scuba suit, they dived the waters and successfully did their mission. Unfortunately, these three men succumbed to radiation poisoning days later. A huge disaster was prevented thanks to their bravery.
The Terrors of Bride Kidnapping
Imagine walking home one afternoon day and getting abducted by a group of men in a car. This is a real story experienced by the then 13-year-old girl named Chompuu from Thailand.
Her scream and cries were futile as the abductors took her into a small house and locked her in a small bedroom. In keeping with the tradition of the Hmong people, she was declared the wife of the kidnapper after three days of captivity.
Bride kidnapping remains in practice after thousand of years in different worlds like Kyrgyzstan, Laos, and Thailand. In the Hmong culture, girls as young as 13 years old are allowed to marry their kidnappers even without their family’s approval.
Through the Compassion program, young people were encouraged to receive medical care, educational assistance, and nutritional support. It also aims to raise awareness to parents about the importance of education and child protection in order to teach the community about the harmful effects of its tradition.
Lursak SaeJang, a father of a daughter victimized by the harmful tradition and the center director for the program, campaigns against the practice. Today, through their team’s initiative, the people of Hmong are slowly recognizing the rights of children and the importance of protecting young girls. They also began to contemplate the significance of a child’s future by receiving education.
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Life Journey: Short Stories On Bravery And Courage
Leaving an Abusive Relationship
Brittany had a good relationship with her husband at the beginning of their marriage. Along the way, she got pregnant and thought that everything was perfect – until she realized that her husband was cheating on her.
She acted out when she found out about this but her husband didn’t do anything and just walked out the door. He left their home for a week, didn’t answer her calls, and gave her the silent treatment.
In fear of her husband leaving her, Brittany decided to just let it go and the issue was never brought up again. A few months later her husband cheated on her again but this time, when Brittany flipped out, he grabbed her by the throat and told her that it was her fault why he cheated. He called her crazy then pushed her into the wall; he left for two weeks and gave her a silent treatment once again.
Britanny felt hopeless and powerless – afraid that her husband will choose another woman – she decided to let it go once again. After having their baby, her husband became angrier and his physical abuse became more frequent. He finds fault with anything, from the baby’s crying to how unkempt the house is. He even hated that Britanny is showing more attention to the baby than him.
Their marriage continued for five more years. They had two more kids and her husband became more abusive towards her. She couldn’t find the courage to separate from him because he provides for the family financially.
One day, her husband spanked their oldest kid so hard that the child couldn’t sit without weeping in pain. That’s when Britanny found the courage to think about how to leave her husband. A week later, she left her abusive husband and found a place to stay with her three kids. It wasn’t easy for her to do but thought that her current situation is better than staying in an abusive relationship.
Times passed and Britanny moved on. She now found herself a loving and caring man who supports her and do not hurt her. Now happy with her new family, she just wished that she had found the courage to leave early in the relationship because she and her kids didn’t deserve what happened to them.
Dealing with Death
Carlie’s mother is dying. She has stage 4 cancer and was given under 12 months to live. Carlie was in denial and didn’t want to admit the truth to herself.
Carlie spent the first month avoiding her mother. She wanted to escape the pain and didn’t want to deal with grief. One day, her mom showed up on her doorsteps without notice. She brought a scrapbook with her and wanted her daughter to look at it. The mother and daughter sat at the kitchen table and went through each page together.
After going through the loving and happy moments with her mom, Carlie was reminded that her mom’s life is more important than her death. She realized that she no longer want to hide from her grief and wanted to spend the remaining months with her mom.
Carlie started making her own scrapbook to record the journey between them. Her scrapbook was filled with their adventures – sharing fun, laughter, and love between them. Holding on to their memories together gave Carlie the courage to accept reality and cherish her mom’s life.
Doing the Right Thing
Ever since she was a kid, Claire had always focused on herself even though she wasn’t raised like this. Her problems and successes were more important than her siblings, a complete opposite from her mom who always put everyone in the family first before herself.
When Claire turned 34, she sold her house in North Carolina in preparation for the move to Los Angeles where she was set to get her dream job as a reporter. She took this risk even without getting accepted yet since she was so sure that she’ll get the job.
Her mother had already died a few years ago so Claire visited her father to tell him how nervous she is for the final interview. Her father calmed her down to tell her that she’ll do great since she is a lot like her mom.
As Claire was reflecting, she remembered how kind, compassionate, and supportive her mom was which was the opposite of her. She felt ashamed of herself as she realized that she doesn’t even know about her family’s own struggle because she was so focused on herself ever since.
An hour before boarding the plane, her sister whose husband recently passed away from cancer called Claire to wish her luck with her interview. Thinking back about the conversation with her father, Claire genuinely listened to her sister for the first time and asked how she was coping. Overwhelmed, her sister broke down crying telling her how she wasn’t doing well recently.
Their phone call ended before the boarding started. She made a decision that she should be more like her mom and take care of what truly matters in life. Claire left the airport and went to her sister instead. She spent the next few months helping her sister with household chores and taking care of the kids.
Thinking about her mom and the respect she had for her, Claire found the courage to let go of her dream job for her family. She never regretted her decision because she learned more about life and her family while spending time with her sister. Before the end of the year, Claire became a reporter because of her experience and ended up getting her dream job easily.
