Dog blog 19 - Courage

Courage

Look at Dave's friend Sally. She's off to try her new hang-gliding kit in the park. 


"Gives you a really good lift for chasing rabbits", she says. 

Now flying like that takes a certain amount of courage. Which prompted the Dog to do a little musing or two whilst chewing a Bonio ("the nation's favourite dog biscuit").

Quick sniff in the dictionary

First, just to be a bit sure of himself, the Dog thought he'd double check what "courage" actually means; he'd come unstuck before confusing the, fairly rudimentary, words, "now don't you eat that cake...".

The Oxford English Dictionary ("the definitive record of the English language") had a nice little definition, tucked away at sense 4:

"...that quality of mind which shows itself in facing danger without fear or shrinking; bravery, boldness, valour."

Now, on that definition, Sally is courage-max, for sure, doing her flyings around the park. But what about a softer version? For example avoiding shrinking when faced making a decision to do, or not to do, something; particularly when you don't know the full facts (see Dog blog 8 - how much do you need to know?)? The Greeks thought this was one of the virtues, one of the foundations of being a moral being. 

V-Power, unleaded

Courage in that sense is an interesting one. Yes, we could come to a defensible position on something, like: (1) Dave observing Sally making a number of flights safely in her new outfit; (2) Dave being the same size and weight to Sally; and (3) Dave thinking it's probably OK for him to have a go too.

But it doesn't quite feel enough of a motivating force to go and actually do (3). The fuel, if you like, for the decision isn't quite there. And lesser dogs might agree with Dave on the logic of what he's saying, but not have the presence of mind to go and do (3). 

You can acquire more courage with experience, but sometimes experience can make us more fearful, and shrinking. As fellow Dog, Tony Grayling, wrote in his nice little book, "The Meaning of Things" (at p21-22):

"Ordinary life evokes... extraordinary courage... because both the chances and inevitabilities of life - grief, illness, disappointment, pain, struggle, poverty, loss, terror, heartache: all of them common features of the human condition, and all of them experienced by hundreds of thousands of people every day - demand kinds of endurance and bravery that make clambering up Everest seem an easier alternative. ... To lie sleepless with pain at night, or to wake up every morning and feel the return of grief, yet to get up and carry on as best one can is courage itself." 

And my favourite line:

"Moreover, courage can only be felt by those who are afraid".

And there's the rub. The logical calculations and second guesses we make in our lives to make decisions that matter to us are not enough in themselves. They need the fuel to take us across the line to decide to do something. 

In the cases of the things we fear, or shrink away from, we need a little courage. And we should also remember - because we all need a little pat on the head sometimes - that, in making that decision to stay, to go, to stop, or to do, we are being courageous. Just like Sally.