Editorial November 5, 2001 Issue

A tiger on the path

John Selover

DEFENSE against a hidden, lurking foe demands the most acute alertness. Fear is not an ally of this high level of alertness. Fear can paralyze good judgment and obscure the right action—or even right non-action. Fear is illusory; it even vanishes in the presence of bravery and valor. The question "Weren't you afraid?" is sometimes asked of someone who has been thrust into sudden danger and has come through it. The fact is that fear disappeared in the urgent need to do something. Unpremeditated bravery is often accompanied by a burst of quick wisdom and resourcefulness, and fear does not play a part.

A brief and unusual account from Mary Baker Eddy's text on Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, offers an example of that wisdom and resourcefulness: "By looking a tiger fearlessly in the eye, Sir Charles Napier sent it cowering back into the jungle" (p. 378).

The fuller account of this incident tells of Napier riding horseback along a jungle trail. A tiger appeared suddenly along the trail. Napier stopped, fixed his gaze on the tiger, and it turned away into the jungle.

Send a comment to the editors

This is the end of the issue. Ready to explore further?

Online features Audio