Tattered American flag at scene of devastation following F-5 tornado in Oklahoma, Image released by US Armed Forces (ID DF-SD-00-03241), Author Sgt Bill Kimble, (Public Domain)
Valor, noun – strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness : personal bravery
Valor may be an old fashioned word these days. It is something quiet. Something internal.
Society applauds courage – a much prized quality that involves action in the face of danger, action despite fear. We picture it on the battlefield, flags waving and bullets flying. Civic associations award medals for it, as well they should.
But there are all kinds of battlefields. Many of us carry our battlefields inside. They are no less perilous, no less grimy, no less bloody for that. Only the blood, the sweat, and the tears are our own.
We carry scars from the battles fought and lost, many when we were grossly outmatched as children. All our failures remain present with us; they haunt us like ghosts. Our victories vanish like soap bubbles. Yet we continue to look death in the face almost daily, and persevere to survive another day [1][2][3].
This is life with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The wounds inflicted on us – whether from childhood abuse and neglect, or domestic violence – were undeserved. The guilt for them is not ours, but we carry the shame regardless.
The demons we wrestle – anxiety, depression, self-doubt, self-loathing – rarely sleep.
At times, we seek to numb the pain. The anesthetics we use for this vary – drugs, alcohol, razor blades, food, sex, work. But they provide little relief. We simply harm ourselves further.
What we fail to recognize is the sheer valor required to endure in the face of such an unrelenting onslaught. There is no better word for the strength of mind and spirit required to remain steadfast and carry on.
Medals or no, we deserve to hold our heads up.
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[1] Psychiatry Advisor, “Trauma and Suicide”, https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/factsheets/trauma-and-suicide/.
[2] PTSD UK, “Suicide amongst people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”, https://www.ptsduk.org/suicide-amongst-people-with-ptsd/.
[3] US Dept. of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD, “The Relationship Between PTSD and Suicide”, https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/cooccurring/suicide_ptsd.asp.
A New Mexico court has ordered Meta (the parent of Instagram and Facebook) to pay $567 million for harming children. The social media giant must eliminate push notifications at night and during school hours, reduce time limits on its apps to no more than 90 hours/month, and put AI chatbox safeguards in place for users under 18 y.o.
For more information, see https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-07/meta-ordered-to-pay-us567-million-in-new-mexico-/107008246.
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