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“It is stupidity rather than courage to refuse to recognize danger when it is close upon you.”
― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
In so many of the books I read, fiction or non-fiction, characters are expected to know when to throw themselves to the floor, put their hat on a stick and raise it up above a log, duck down behind a desk, lie still under a cloak to look like a rock or put on an invisibility cloak. There are times when it is necessary to retreat and regroup. Knowing when to do this is the problem.
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Using a card trump to touch a brother’s fingers as Corwin does in Chronicles of Amber takes him from the frying pan into the fire which is another problem. Escaping from one bad place to another is not the greatest plan, but he thought he had no choice. Mentally, there are times to do the same. Hiding behind a bland face, acting simple minded, keeping quiet and observing what is going on are also skills.
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In City of Ink, by Elsa Hart, Li Du has returned from exile to Beijing with the idea of proving his teacher and mentor innocent though the teacher had admitted to being one of the conspirators against the Emperor and died for it. Li Du is nearly invisible as he tries to find papers that will prove the case. For two years he has worked as a secretary assistant to Chief Inspector Sun, but now he is sticking his neck out trying to find the truth of two murders in a tile factory.
Pg.191
Now that the confrontation was over, he felt an uneasy awareness of having acted outside the constraints he usually placed on himself. The acute, curious glances of the Gendarmerie officials were unsettling. They had noticed him, and would remember him.
As in so many other stories we have all read, Li Du’s boss warns him:
Pg. 192
My advice to you, as your employer and your friend, is to continue writing the report you have been given permission to write. You have shown an aptitude for uncovering truth. Use it, and hope, as I do, that it leads to further revelations. But do not go too far, because if you do so, I am not certain I will be able to save you.
Li Du does not duck as you might guess. He does understand the risk he is taking.
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In Tiamat’s War by Corey, the new Expanse book, an elderly lady who was a powerhouse for good is remembered after her death. It is possible to be against violence and still find ways to fight back:
Pg. 30
She was a fighter, but she wasn’t a warrior. She was always leading the struggle, but she did it by finding other ways to get the work done. Alliances, political pressure, trade, logistics. Her strategy was always that violence came last.
There is disagreement about this. But it is not ducking in cowardice on anyone’s part in the story. There are different ways to fight. I think most stories would agree it is a good idea to keep an eye out for things coming at you and duck and then decide how to go forward.
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What are your favorite examples of this?
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POLL https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2448.Arthur_Conan_Doyle