The line in the sand between Wisdom and Cowardice is the length of the jail sentence.
idk what that means, im on the dayquil.
Today's edition of the Secret Commentary is empty, because Dave failed to come up with something for it.
The line in the sand between Wisdom and Cowardice is the length of the jail sentence.
idk what that means, im on the dayquil.
There is no line! Cowardice is applied wisdom.
Courage is doing what needs be done despite your fear.
Cowardice is letting fear master you to the point of not doing what needs be done.
Wisdom is knowing which principle to apply when, and that can include doing things that other people call cowardly. But there are times when doing the right thing looks like cowardice from the outside; there are times when doing nothing is better than doing anything at all; and there are times when there is no possible way to achieve the results everyone wants, and one must, in wisdom, stop trying.
Also, courage can mean doing the right thing despite knowing that others will judge you harshly for it and maybe even penalize you (including possibly a jail sentence). So what is cowardice from the outside can indeed be courage on the inside.
I’ve long appreciated the concept of a character choosing to accept a negative reputation for Reasons — not telling the truth about what happened, because his sense of ethics will not let him save himself at that cost. Not yet sure how I’m gonna weave that into a story someday, but I hope I eventually will.
I would like to read that story.
Although, I was joking! And your definition of cowardice sounds more like panic. It’s possible to apply cowardice with extraordinary self-control, ingenuity and indeed foresight. Cowardice is a motivation, like any other, even a rational motivation.
But your point is well-made. Simple self-preservation is often called “cowardice” by those who want you to fight on their behalf. The conscientious objector is often extraordinarily brave, though routinely denounced as a coward.
“i sing of Olaf glad and big…”
If memory serves me correct with American cars, (And I should hope so since I have one sitting outside.) the rear locks are child-proof locks. You can’t open the door from the inside when said door is locked. Meaning, the door Selkie exited from will remain unlocked.
Unless… You know… Grandma was watching the whole thing and is using the door remote to mess with Selkie…
I love this idea, but I don’t think Grandma would be cruel enough to let the prank continue for this long.
Still. Maybe she is. We’ll just have to wait and see.
I grew up with child locks well into my teens. Eventually we learned that switching them off is as easy as flipping a little switch inside the part that’s hidden when the door is closed.
I do think that, if that’s a modern car, the act of opening the door leaves it in an unlocked state, which *should* mean that Selkie can get back in the way she came out. But that’s not necessarily a modern car. And even if it is, she won’t necessarily think to try *all* the doors. In panic mode, our brains tend to revert to a state that doesn’t think outside the box much.
That’s a good saying.
Hope your recovery goes well.
Dave;s remark about wisdom and cowardice reminded me of something I read long, long ago (so long ago that I can’t properly attribute it:)
We will never know how many heroes intended to be cowards but ran the wrong way.
My money is on Pratchett for this.
If Grandma is the type of person I’ve read her to be…there is a spare key on the underside of the car.
Hope you feel better soon, Dave. Thanks for the new comic!
Comparing 1874 to this page, I think Selkie looks better without the blush.