Just started watching Godzilla Minus One today after watching Dancing for the Devil yesterday, and it's making me think again about bravery and judgment.

It's so hard to know how you would react in a critical scenario. Maybe all your life, you're sure that you'd be the one to speak up or act when it counted, but there in the moment of danger and uncertainty, who can say?

I think there can even be a sort of "frog in the pot" situation sometimes, where your response to something would be quite different depending on whether it's introduced to you gradually or suddenly.

I think those two elements are key -- danger, with its raw fight-flight-or-freeze hormonal cocktail, and uncertainty, with its more cerebral "what SHOULD I do" "I don't KNOW what to do" focus.

I think you can train yourself to have a better likelihood of being brave by actually considering what you would do in various situations, including thinking about what red flags to look out for would be. Ask yourself what you will not let stand, what are your lines in the sand for action, and figure out how to tell when that is happening. Then, at least, the uncertainty part is overcome.

But that still leaves the danger part. Few of us truly know what it's actually like to be in a moment like that, whatever it is. I'm in favor of showing kindness and patience to people who weren't brave, because there but for the inspiration of God go all of us. I think being humble enough to realize that you can't be sure if you're capable of bravery until you've really been tested is important.

It might be possible to practice that, too, to an extent. When you feel a little panicky about doing or saying something, let it be your cue to flee the comfort zone.

Another example of "I'd better listen to my own advice"

#thoughts #thoughtstr #grownostr