A few weeks back, I spoke with our Scouts about how the 10th point of the Scout Law – a Scout is Brave – relates to feeling afraid. Don’t worry, I didn’t quote “The Wizard of Oz” to our Troop (nor did we watch the movie!) – but we did talk openly about how we can be brave and afraid at the same time. This might seem counter-intuitive, but I suggested a few things to them:
1 – First my father, and then several wise Soldiers I knew while in the Army, told me often that fear is a good thing because it keeps us alive. Whether its the sound of screeching tires causing one to urgently look around for a car that might be careening toward us, that of a gunshot that causes us to duck our head, or the sound of glass breaking unexpectedly that alerts us to potential harm – all of these events cause surprise & fear and will usually prevent something bad from happening to us.
2 – Fear, though, can either cause permanent action (after the initial reaction) driven by that fear, or after assessing the situation bravery can cause us to continue on the course we were on or initiate a new course of action related to the event that caused the fear in the first place.
The trick, in my view, is to balance the two and neither be gripped or consumed by one’s fear, nor to be overly brave to the point of being arrogant or stupid – especially when others are involved. It was interesting (as it usually is!) watching the faces of our Scouts as they tried to reconcile the notion of being bravely afraid of a situation, or fearfully braving a challenge.
What does all of this have to do with lions, tigers, and crocodiles, you ask? Over Spring Break this past week, my family and I took a trip to the Florida Keys. Aside from a brief stop-off at the Sea Base High Adventure camp that we’ll be attending in July, we spent most of the week enjoying a number of outdoor adventures, including kayaking through the mangroves that are quite common throughout the Keys. On one of the trips, we were advised that manatees and crocodiles inhabit a section of the water that we’d be paddling through…and wouldn’t you know it – we found them!
There’s not much to be afraid of where manatees are concerned, aside from them unknowingly bumping into your kayak and tipping you over, but crocodiles are another thing altogether. My brave (and apparently totally unafraid) Scout paddled right up to a 6′ crocodile, stopped to study him, and continued on his way. Not to be shown up by my Scout, I attempted to do the same and felt quite brave and unafraid myself…until I turned to paddle away. Oddly enough, a wave of fear washed over me as I turned my kayak, I immediately began to wobble back and forth unsteadily, and my heart rate went through the roof – clearly, I was afraid! This is where #1 above came through for me…I suddenly found myself paddling faster than I’d ever thought I could and I was quickly far from the area where that crocodile was sleeping. In hindsight, he probably never woke up!
This situation stuck with me throughout the rest of the trip and caused me to reflect on my fear vs. bravery conversation with our Scouts. There’s quite a metaphor there that perhaps we can all learn from – with a healthy dose of bravery (and sometimes a little luck), staring something head-on can enable you to get through a challenge. But turning your back on a challenge tips the scales so that the challenge (or crocodile, in my case) has a leg up on you. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not suggesting anyone stare down a crocodile, but as challenges face our Scouts as both young men and adults, I know the ideals and experiences of Scouting will serve them well to harness their fear(s), be brave, and do the right thing always.