Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCXLI

Don't try to tell me our troops aren't brave. I know better. Don't try to tell me our troops aren't scared out of their wits when they're in the heat of battle. I know better. So that leads to the question, "Is it possible to be scared and brave at the same time?" Let's think about this and see what we come up with. Now please keep in mind that what I have to say is strictly my opinion and not some scientific explanation that I've researched. First of all, we'll discuss the word "fear." I personally believe that all living creatures experience fear at various times throughout their lives, and that's because fear is a God-given instinct that aids in self preservation. Without it, we would constantly be walking into life threatening situations with absolutely no apprehension whatsoever, resulting in much shorter life spans for man and beast alike. Therefore, fear is healthy. It prolongs our lives. So, what is courage? Is it the absence of fear? Not at all. I think John Wayne said it best when he said, "Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway." As a child, I had some misconceptions about fear and courage, and I often wonder if others looked at it the same way I did. I thought fear and courage were opposites, but I was wrong. We can have fear and courage at the same time. My dad was one of the soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day during World War II, and not long before he passed away, he told me how scared he was as they were running up onto land, but they kept running. That's courage, my friend. There's no way anyone could convince me that Todd Beamer and his cohorts on Flight 93 felt no fear as they purposely crashed that plane into that Pennsylvania field on September 11, 2001, but that fear didn't stop them from doing what was right. What about the firemen who rushed INTO the burning towers in New York that same day as others were rushing out? Surely they were experiencing fear. So if fear is not the opposite of courage, then what is? I think the best antonym for courage is "cowardice." A coward is someone who allows his fear to prevent him from being brave. Instead of controlling his fear, he lets his fear control him. When we are rearing our children, it's good to make them understand danger and to have a healthy fear of it; yet at the same time, we teach them courage by showing them that there are times when we have to hold our heads up and walk straight into scary situations. Those lessons are taught by example. It may be something as simple as, "I know it's frightening being the new kid at school, but we have to do it anyway." One other point: Notice that I've used the term, "healthy fear." Being a person of courage doesn't mean we take unnecessary risks. There's another word for that, which we'll get into later. God gave us a brain for a reason. Let's use it. Preston