General MacArthur used to frequently, and many would say recklessly, expose himself to danger in areas with known snipers. In one incident he actually stared out of a window at a sniper training his rifle at him from another building across the street. He then “casually” turned and walked away from the window a split second before a bullet came through the window aimed at him. When asked later about the behavior, he claimed he liked to “test his timing.” This behavior drove his subordinates “nuts.” Yet MacArthur survived the entirety of the war in his early sixties and without so much as a scratch. Patton behaved similarly and also survived the war, only to have his neck broken in the slightest of fender benders. What is Creator’s perspective on this behavior?

We can rule out that this behavior was a kind of death wish or self-destructive aberration in reaction to the stress of combat, for example, to overcompensate. In actuality, we can tell you that what people were witnessing was simply raw courage genuinely on display. That was an outstanding soul attribute characteristic both generals possessed. Courage is a divine attribute and can be invaluable in allowing someone to prevail when confronted with severe challenges and at times of danger physically. This allowed them to remain cool and calm in carrying out their duties unruffled and with minimal stress. This allowed them as well to remain objective because they were not carried away by emotion of any kind, let alone undermined by fear, and thus become a victim of combat stress themselves. Rather than being a reckless disregard for personal safety, they simply possessed an abundance of courage, and that is one downside, they will not shrink from duty but may volunteer to take on a dangerous assignment because they can be fearless in summoning that inner capability to be truly courageous, and that will crowd out any doubt about their future and their effectiveness in getting the victory they intend to have. This is the main reason they rose through the ranks and eventually ended up selected for top leadership roles, in the largest military operation in human history, with the most at stake in terms of lives at risk. They not only had the wherewithal for successful leadership and appreciation of military strategy, their courage helped them walk the talk, and reassure both those they commanded as well as those they reported to they could be trusted to have the right stuff, so to speak. While of premier importance for military generals, courage is just as important for many roles in life, and the degree of expression people enjoy will govern their wherewithal to be successful in life to a significant degree.