Stoicism

ˈstōəˌsizəm

noun – an ancient Greek school of philosophy founded at Athens by Zeno of Citium. The school taught that virtue, the highest good, is based on knowledge; the wise live in harmony with the divine Reason (also identified with Fate and Providence) that governs nature, and are indifferent to the vicissitudes of fortune and to pleasure and pain.
noun – the endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings and without complaint.

the root of courage

the root of courage 
is a simple acceptance 
of the job at hand

this young soldier weighs 
ninety-eight pounds soaking wet 
fifty of them heart

pleading in silence
blood into mud into dust
is how all men die

this adversity
is my chance to demonstrate
my best behavior

when wealth departed
it carried off nothing but
its own inertia

the task before me
is to turn this misfortune
to my advantage

this foul injustice
carries deep lessons that are
mine to discover

i will not give in
to this adversity nor
trust prosperity

that which blocks my path
is often just a signpost
to a better path

i might perceive things
correctly then act rightly
and fail anyway