Fearless? (Writerly)

[lesbiaphrodite]

I want to know if being fearless is the same as being courageous. As a writer, I sometimes come upon words that make me wonder about the fine shades of distinction that exist between two terms.

When I describe someone who is 'fearless,' I am thinking of someone who takes risks and who has brass balls...someone who will play dirty if necessary to get what they want. I have a different sort of person in mind when I say they are 'courageous.' Please tell me how you distinguish the two.

 

[Safe_Bet]

For me they are very distinct. Fearless = has no fear. courageous = scared shitless, but does what needs to be done regardless.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Let me make my distinction for you.

Going in the projects alone at night is a fearless act for me because I'm pretty confident I'm the baddest boy there, and the baddest I'm likely to run into.

In Vietnam, crawling thru mortar and rocket fire was difficult, but I did it inspite of my fear; so that was more like courage.

When I was a fireman it didnt bother me to go inside a burning house, but it did bother me to go in the water to find a dead body.

 

[rgraham666]

For me they are very distinct. Fearless = has no fear. courageous = scared shitless, but does what needs to be done regardless.

This is pretty much my thought on the matter as well.

 

[Vermilion]

For me they are very distinct. Fearless = has no fear. courageous = scared shitless, but does what needs to be done regardless.

Absolutely. To put it as my darling husband does - "Courage is not the absence of fear, but acting in the face of fear."

x
V

 

[trysail]

I can't improve upon Twain's thoughts on the matter, so I won't try:

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear— not an absence of fear. Except a creature be part coward it is not a compliment to say it is brave; it is merely a loose misapplication of the word."

-Samuel L. Clemens ( "Mark Twain" )
The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson And the Comedy Those Extraordinary Twins
Hartford, Connecticut. 1894

 

[lesbiaphrodite]

Nice levels of distinction. I like what I'm reading. The Twain quote is particularly fine.

Hemingway wrote a good deal about courageous men and cowardly men, and I think I understood what he was talking about. It takes courage to face a lion, for example, and to not run away. It takes courage to admit you're dead wrong about something and face the consequences even if you're scared to death.

Fearlessness is harder to me. I've seen fearless men and women. I can think of lots of fearless artists, writers, actors, etc. These are the people that will walk out past the edge of the envelope and laugh while doing so, challenging all the accepted boundaries and saying, "Come on in, the water feels fine."

I like both types.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but acting in the face of fear."

Yes, perfect.

 

[trysail]

"Familiarity with danger makes a brave man braver, but less daring."
-Herman Melville
White Jacket



"Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash."
-George S. Patton, Jr., taken from a letter to his son, Cadet George S. Patton, IV. June 6, 1944.



"Presumably, the Doctor concluded sardonically, people realize in heaven that it's a devilish sight harder, on earth, to do a brave thing at forty-five than at twenty-five."
-Edith Wharton
Old New York

Thermopylae​

Honor to those who in their lives are committed
and guard their Thermopylaes,
Never stirring from duty;
just and upright in all their deeds,
but with pity and compassion too;
generous when they are rich,
and when they are poor,
again a little generous,
again helping as much as they are able;
always speaking the truth,
but without rancor for those who lie,

And they merit greater honor when they foresee
(and many do foresee)
that Ephialtes will finally appear,
and in the end the Medes will go through.

-C. P. Cavafy
(translation by Rae Dalvern)

 

[Weird Harold]

I want to know if being fearless is the same as being courageous. As a writer, I sometimes come upon words that make me wonder about the fine shades of distinction that exist between two terms.

When I describe someone who is 'fearless,' I am thinking of someone who takes risks and who has brass balls...someone who will play dirty if necessary to get what they want. I have a different sort of person in mind when I say they are 'courageous.' Please tell me how you distinguish the two.

Despite the very good references to the distinction normally made between Fearless and Courageous and/or Brave, I think there is a large "eye of the beholder" element when writing about fearless or courageous characters.

Fearless isn't always bad, either; a person who doesn't feel any particular fear or see any particular danger in the performance of some 'Heroic" action is technically "fearless rather than Courageous, but outsiders who don't have all the information will see the act as simultaneously Fearless, Courageous and Heroic despite the lack of all three characteristics from the hero's POV.

 

[sr71plt]

I think Safe Bet got it right.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

To be completely fearless is to be completely brainless. Courage, as has been stated, it the willingness to risk danger, death or even dismemberment in the cause of something that must be done. Feeling your blood turn to ice water, your bowels knot and knees shake but stand and face the danger is courage.

Not realizing that that thing out there is about to turn you into painful jelly 'cause you too stoopid to get out of der way is fearless.

 

[R. Richard]

To be completely fearless is to be insane. If you step off the curb without looking for traffic, you're fearless and insane.

If you have special knowledge of a situation, you may be fearless, because there's no real danger. Those about you may know fear, but because they don't have your special knowledge.

Courage, as has been pointed out, requires fear. In order to have courage, you must overcome fear.

 

[princessjennie]

I agree with some of the above that to be fearless is (sometimes only - qualification) also to be brainless.

I would also add another element to fearless - nothing to lose. But where the person only thinks they have nothing to lose, they they might also be described as brainless.

It would really depend on the character in your story and the context as to what emphasis I would place on fearless - It is very acceptable to fearless if you are immortal - there wouldn't be much to kill you perhaps (so no brainlessness here). But if it was a horror story and the character was doing things they shouldn't, I would be going "look behind you" etc.

But I would also say that no matter what you intend, people will read many different interpretrations into what you have written that you can't always predict or control.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

VM

You write like a frightened girl.

Fear is a useful feeling when dealing with uncommon and unusual experience, but fear is an unnecessay burden when youre competent to handle the situation. Fear is a handle for evil people to manipulate you.

I like to master my fear. I like the arena.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v325wdgoFH4

 

[princessjennie]

VM

You write like a frightened girl.

Why is it necessary to make comments like this? What happened to the good old "I disagree. And this is why..."

You will no doubt tell me you don't care what people think and you are free to be who you want to be here. I don't disagree with this, but it won't stop me from saying I don't think this sort of personal attack is necessary or a positive contribution to discourse in the AH.

I hope this was a joke.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

VM

You write like a frightened girl.

Fear is a useful feeling when dealing with uncommon and unusual experience, but fear is an unnecessay burden when youre competent to handle the situation. Fear is a handle for evil people to manipulate you.

I like to master my fear. I like the arena.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v325wdgoFH4

JBJ you write like an overaged blowhard. To equate fear only with people is to admit that you've never left the block.

 

[Corylea]

Fearlessness is harder to me. I've seen fearless men and women. I can think of lots of fearless artists, writers, actors, etc. These are the people that will walk out past the edge of the envelope and laugh while doing so, challenging all the accepted boundaries and saying, "Come on in, the water feels fine."

Ah, but you don't know what they were feeling on the inside. They could have felt fear and just been masking it with bravado.

 

[Lee Chambers]

On fearlessness, it can also be applied to someone who knows they're going to die and knows that they have to do something in order to accomplish a mission, save a life or save many lives. Knowing you will die in the process of doing something heroic can take away all fear and let you focus on what has to be done.

I think this man is a perfect example.

In a videotaped interview with the U.S. Naval Institute for its Americans at War program, Ripley said he and about 600 South Vietnamese were ordered to "hold and die" against 20,000 North Vietnamese soldiers with about 200 tanks.

"I'll never forget that order, 'hold and die'," Ripley said. The only way to stop the enormous force with their tiny force was to destroy the bridge, he said.

"The idea that I would be able to even finish the job before the enemy got me was ludicrous," Ripley said. "When you know you're not going to make it, a wonderful thing happens: You stop being cluttered by the feeling that you're going to save your butt."

Fearlessness can equate to stupidity and insanity. It can also equate to a willingness to sacrifice everything for a greater goal.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

PRINCESSJENNIE

Ozzies are irrelevant white people, perhaps a slice better than Canadians.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

VM

Were you a REMF in the Air Force? I think you were.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

LEECHAMBERS

Are you afraid of the water? Or big dogs? Or snakes? Or monsters under the bed?

Voluptuary Manque is; they give him nightmares.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Why is it necessary to make comments like this? What happened to the good old "I disagree. And this is why..."

You will no doubt tell me you don't care what people think and you are free to be who you want to be here. I don't disagree with this, but it won't stop me from saying I don't think this sort of personal attack is necessary or a positive contribution to discourse in the AH.

I hope this was a joke.

Jennie, it's just monkey poop. It has about that much meaning.

You can out him on "ignore" if you like. He occasionally says something pertinent-- but so many other people speak pertinently so much more often--
you won't be missing much by missing his fly-blown stinkies.


Back to the subject, though-- I can pick up spiders and take them out of the house, but that doesn't make me brave, it's just that I am not afraid of spiders. If I pick up the phone and call the IRS, or a lawyer, or sometimes my sister-- that's courage.