Question # 40
When we are suddenly confronted with any terrible danger, the change of nature we undergo is equally great.In some cases, fear paralyses us.Like animals we stand powerless to move a step in fright or to lift a hand in defence of our lives and somtimes we are seized with panic,and again act more like the inferior animals than beigns.On the other hand,frequnetly in case of sudden extreme perill,which cannot be escaped by fright and must be instantly faced, even the most timid men at once as if by miracle,become possessed of the necessary courage sharp quick apprehension,and swift decision.This is a miracle very common in nature.Man and the inferior animals alike, when confronted with almost certain death gather resolution from despair' but there can really be no trace of so debilitating a feeling in the person fighting,or prepared to fight for dear life.At such times,the mind is clearer than it has ever been: the nerves are steel, there is nothing felt but a wonderful strength and daring.Looking back at certain perilous moments in my own life,I remember them with a kind of joy,not that there was any joyful excitement them; but because they brought me a new experience,a new nature, as it were and lifted me for a time above myself.iii.The distinction between inferior animals and rational beings is that;
