Wednesday 6 December 2006

Courage?


...oh I do like to be beside..., originally uploaded by kwo.

Often observers comment on the bravery and courage needed to work as a member of a lifeboat crew. Most crewmembers would scowl and look away at the very mention. And that is the awkward part.....those who have it or display it commonly deny it. It is not courage, merely doing what seems right and necessary in the circumstances.

However, looking beyond the individual, the lifeboat service does have a rich tradition of courage, this can be seen in the vast number of stories of lifeboats lost and lives saved at sea. Uniquely this leads to something special within the RNLI as a charity; those who give money generally do so because they wish to assist those doing the lifesaving, rather than those in peril on the sea......

We fail!
But screw your courage to the sticking place,
And we'll not fail.

4 comments:

Bertie.. said...

Surely, bravery & courage are measures in the eye of the beholder, not the individual.

Having been both rescuer and casualty, it's always good to know that there are people out there with skills, experience and committment to go out when others wouldn't.

lifeboatjohn said...

Quite right, it helps of course that we commit to helping long before we actually see what it is that we are expected to do; I have on occasion looked at the lurching gap between us and the caualty and had doubts about the good sense of making the leap!

Unknown said...

Good quote!!

lifeboatjohn said...

Why thank you my dear!