Can you teach courage?

In the book Divergent by Veronica Roth, the main character Tris chooses Dauntless as her faction. Every faction has an initiation to determine which initiates possess the qualities they look for in a member or if they will be factionless. The dauntless initiation in particular is extremely competitive and intense. The things tested in the dauntless initiation don't necessarily teach bravery, but is it possible to actually teach it?

In the first stage of Dauntless initiation you are taught combat. The initiates learn hand to hand combat and how to use a gun, then they fight each other. I think that instead of teaching bravery, this teaches cruelty and violence. These initiates are competing for a top spot and adding physical competition will bring out the feelings of resentment that they have toward one another.

In the second stage of Dauntless initiation the initiates are given a serum that takes them into a fear landscape. They have to calm down to escape the fear landscape. On page 230 Four says, "Ever heard the phrase 'face your fears'? We're taking that literally The simulation will teach you to control your fears in the midst of a frightening situation." Instead facing their fears I think the initiates are ignoring and burying their fears to get out of the simulation. Ignoring your fears sounds more like cowardice than courage to me.

Courage is defined as: the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc.; without fear. I don't think it is possible to teach a quality like this. I also don't think anyone is without fear. In everyday life, courageous is used as a relative term because people will always fear. That is what makes us human.

In conclusion, the Dauntless initiation isn't really teaching courage. I think it is impossible to be completely fearless, therefore impossible to teach fearlessness. What the Dauntless initiation teaches is violence and fear.

What do you think is an effective form of teaching people to be courageous (if you even think there is one). Also, is it healthy to be afraid of things?