We’ve mentioned several times on the show how we were both afraid of everything as kids. But were we ever brave? Bravery and courage are this week’s topics, beginning with our definitions or bravery and courage (i.e. are they the same thing?). From there, we move on to our first acts of bravery and courage.
But it’s not all about us: we spend some time discussing why society seems to admire bravery so much before asking if we’re a braver society now than our grandparents’ generation? How about the generation coming up — are we braver/more courageous than them?
Say “bravery” and so many people envision a soldier. Are soldiers brave by nature — find out what we think. Say “bravery” to others, and it evokes an image of a guy saying “Hold my beer,” before another trip to the emergency room. At what point does bravery cross the line into stupidity? Is there anything wrong with not being brave and opting for safety?
Near the end, it’s back to us: find out the most courageous and then the bravest things we’ve ever done. We close the episode out with this question: “Do you think society will become more brave or less brave in the future?”
As always, we’d love it if you were brave enough to comment…or even leave a rating of review for Men in Gorilla Suits on iTunes or Stitcher.
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As a soon-to-be former military wife, I would love to fill your comment page on how enlisted soldiers are not brave at all. But I think it all depends upon the situation the aforementioned enlisted soldier finds him or herself in.
My future ex-husband went to Afghanistan, but really, how brave did he have to be to get on a commercial plane for a job that never took him off the base in Kabul? I think it has to depend entirely upon the experience the soldier has. He had a great time in a warzone, and other people came back with drug problems from the horrible experiences they had to go through.
I don’t think we can label someone as brave or not just because of what they choose to do for a living. In my opinion, the person who goes to their Mcjob every day, does their best, in order to take care of themselves and their dependents despite the unfulfilling nature of their career choice is a lot braver than a soldier who spends all ten months of his tour of duty on the army base and never once goes out into the actual war.
Yeah, even I was media-poisoned by this one. When Christopher said “soldiers,” I immediately thought of those who have been in battle, because that’s the experience of many of my friends (and let’s not forget, the one the media presents). We did go on later to say that there are plenty of dicks and jerkbags that end up in the service; solder =/ brave, necessarily.
The McJob example is more courage to me than bravery; courage carries more weight with me, going by my own personal definitions of the two. Courage trumps bravery.
Thanks for the reply Monica — I definitely agree. I’ve known brave people from all walks of life; it strikes me as strange how enlisted soldier/former soldier instantly = brave. I have some friends who have served for decades, and I’d consider them courageous and brave…but they are courageous and brave outside of uniform, too. Several other friends were more like your soon-to-be ex husband: “I was on base the whole time and it was kind of fun in its own weird way…except seeing others coming through who were messed up from what they saw in the field.”
One of the reasons I specifically mentioned the section about the military is there seems to be people who instantly think soldier = honorable hero few can rival. I’m not saying those men and women don’t exist, but most friends in the service have told me I was wise not following them in because there are a lot of people who aren’t stand-up people. As you point out, it’s weird that we say, “This person is better/braver,” when there’s a certain bravery in taking a job where nothing is provided for you except the agreement to work (and can, at least in Texas and many other states, just end with no real explanation). Some friends who were in for over 20 years and came out had a hard time adjusting to not having everything scheduled for them.
The guy who goes into the military because he’s trouble and it’s that or worse doesn’t seem as courageous/brave to me as the person who was in a bad wreck and overcomes their fears to hop back into traffic because they have dependents they have to support. It’s those smaller, everyday acts of bravery and courage that fascinate me most.
I predict people will become even less brave in the immediate future , , then eventually, transhumans will become brave again. Today, life is cheap. In the future, the possibility of radical life extension will make life extremely valuable, and by extension, tenuous. Then as more life safeguards get locked into place, staying “alive” – in some form – will be a given.
CMS: Always love talking about things in the future because it means you’ll usually come along and leave a reply about the future…and I always dig them!
Wait – Shawn has skull squirrels on Etsy?
OK I found squirrel skulls, but no skull squirrels…