Norm: Thanks for your thoughtful reply. Liza: > So I don't agree with Shakespeare's Falstaff. I think 500 years of > timid adults jumped (with great ENTHUSIASM) on this well-crafted > phrase - and have used it to justify their lack of courage. Norm: From Merriam-Webster (http://www.m-w.com/) ... Main Entry: dis·cre·tion Pronunciation: dis-'kre-sh&n Function: noun Date: 14th century 1 : the quality of being discreet : CIRCUMSPECTION; especially : cautious reserve in speech 2 : ability to make responsible decisions 3 a : individual choice or judgment <left the decision to his discretion> b : power of free decision or latitude of choice within certain legal bounds <reached the age of discretion> 4 : the result of separating or distinguishing The meaning that I intended to imply is 3a and 4. Enthusiasm makes energy available; discretion directs it or suppresses it. Discretion, in 3a, may be read as "To do or not to do; that is the question." Choosing to do something daring, or even rash, may be the outcome. Liza: > I'd much rather see someone brave and stupid, then someone who > deliberates and deliberates and deliberates because he doesn't want > to get hurt, or make a mistake. Norm: As I said above, discretion does not have to mean that one wishes to avoid risk. To bring it back on-topic: eating raw meat is thought, by most, to be extremely foolhardy; much deliberation went into making the decision to do so, for me.