The terms fear and courage played a major role in the life experience of Tim O'Brien. Like most other young males who just graduated college, in 1968 after graduating from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, he sought different opportunities in hopes of becoming independent and gaining a career. Before these hopes of opportunity are realized, however, he receives notice that he has been drafted to the Vietnam War. He acknowledges the tragedies that may occur in war, and fears for his life. Generally courage is a way of overcoming fear. However, in O'Brien's supreme perspective, he reveals his extreme fear of courage. He finds himself in a "moral emergency" where he must analyze his perception of courage in order to make such a critical decision (901). After his analysis, he felt that as much as he feared loosing his life in war, he couldn't reveal that reason for not wanting to go to war to avoid any type of humiliation. He doubted his life if he pursued on with the process of war and therefore made excuses for himself to stay out. Because O'Brien didn't accept the challenge to follow his heart, he took the easy way out and went to war. His lack of courage forced him to live under the circumstance of not believing in him and they're of continuing by facing the results of his fear of war.
             O'Brien compared his thoughts of fear and courage and believed that he had the potential to be full of courage, but does not realize the effort he must contribute. He doesn't realize that becoming independent is process he must go through in order to make a difference and solve his problems. He doesn't want to attend war because he fears it, what in the world can he do? Many can answer what they could do but O'Brien was in doubt of what he could do for himself in order to be out of such of a dilemma. He writes "Courage, I seemed to think, comes to us in finite quantities, like an inheritance, and by being fru...