this may possibly become something else, but I’m not quite sure it’s there yet.

some people on the radio tonight were talking about the differences between courage and fearlessness. Since I was listening while driving across the continent, I only picked up on little fragments of their conversation, here and there.

This was a Canadian radio talk show, and the host was interviewing someone who used to be a boxer, but who is now an author.  And they were discussing his new book. if i understood correctly, the boxer was explaining that fearlessness allowed him to face an opponent in the boxing ring. but it took courage to ask a boss for a raise or to ask somebody out on a date.

And then they were taking calls from listeners. And the first caller asked whether it took courage or fearlessness to ask a boss out on a date. And then the host said, “That raises an interesting point. How would you characterize boxing with a date?” The boxer replied that both of those questions had more to do with courage than fearlessness. 

I couldn’t quite wrap my head around these distinctions. I mean, whenever I call upon my friends who used to live in my neighborhood but who now inhabit the sky… Whenever I call upon them to ask for courage, I usually pair it with a request for fearlessness. Up until 8:45 tonight, I had always thought they were one and the same. But I think that the boxer might tell me that one has absolutely nothing to do with the other.

I guess I should probably read his book.