A sidebar to the USA Weekend June 7 issue’s Caroline Kennedy feature asks, “Is the courage within you?” While referring to the editor of a popular, reputable magazine, the boxed piece oversimplifies its answers to questions asked of readers.

Courage, like many other highly valued characteristics, is seldom as simple as deciding whether to pull a stranger out of a burning vehicle. Courage is especially complex when expected of public safety professionals.

Those firefighters, police and medical service people killed in the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, acted bravely in doing what they were trained to do. Would many of them have climbed so high in the towers if they knew the buildings would collapse so soon? Maybe. But they would have been just as brave if they decided, courageously, to position themselves to try to help survivors after the towers fell.

Very often, women and men charged with protecting others are forced to decide between instant action or reaction and thoughtful waiting so they can help more people. What torture they must feel when they must choose between rescuing one person hanging out of the window of a flaming building or saving three more trapped inside on the first floor.

By taking time to think through the situation, our best public protectors often save more lives, even if they have to give up others. The newspaper is partly correct when it states: “Those with a ‘seize the day’ mentality act first and contemplate second.” A little contemplation is essential, especially for leaders who supervise actions of rescue workers. A fire chief must think through possible consequences, relying on experience and training, before sending firefighters into a flaming building or other life-threatening situation. Police and EMS chiefs face similar decisions.

We should not confuse instant action with true courage. Nor should we worry whether we have “courage within” if we are inclined to be thoughtful. True cowards among us are those who seldom take care of other people in any way, from holding doors open to sharing child-raising at home. Cowards do not vote or become involved in their communities. Cowards avoid making decisions that call for any kind of risk on their own parts.

Courage within comes out every time we decide to help someone else when we would rather not become involved. I hope our most courageous public servants and protectors will continue to think twice before they jump into danger.

Sharon Bray lives in Orland.