The first penguin

my favorite analogy for doing courageous things

What’s up Substack fam!

The consistency of these roughly equals the consistency of my life, and lately both have been a bit of a mess. Here’s to finding a new normal :)

The First Penguin

It’s dawn in the arctic - 5am, freezing cold, the only sound is the howling wind and the crunch of snow beneath anxious feet.

A herd of penguins - over 100 - approach the deep, dark arctic water. They’re all hungry, and it’s time to hunt. They’ll hop in, look for fish, and call it a day… right?

Unfortunately, there’s just one problem: penguins can’t see into the water. There’s a chance a herd of predators is right beneath the surface - a leopard seal or shark or killer whale just waiting to have a hunt of their own.

So what do penguins do? Do they let everyone starve? Risk the herd on a single catch? Of course not - that’d be silly.

Instead, one brave penguin jumps into the water first. If they’re fine, then it’s safe to hunt. If they’re eaten, then the herd knows not to return to the same spot.

The first penguin (n.) the one to take the initial risk or chance so that others may follow suit.

It sounds crazy, until we realize that history is full of first penguins. Everyone is the first person to do something, and pioneers are often slaughtered while settlers prosper.

When Barack Obama ran for office or RBG joined the Supreme Court (Rest in Peace 😢) they stuck their beaks up in the air and looked into dark water, then took the plunge very well knowing what may wait beneath.

And for them it worked out, but for many others it didn’t. We don’t hear about the penguins that got eaten, probably because it doesn’t make for a very good story. But they’re just as important because they leaped in too.

In studying first penguins we can learn a lot about courage. Who the hell is actually brave enough to jump into freezing cold water, at the risk of being eaten, when they can just as easily step back into the herd and wait until the coast is clear?

I wondered the same thing. Look at that picture again - what do you notice other than the first penguin?

The herd of others waiting to follow.

Penguins don’t leap into the water because they aren’t scared. If they’re anything like the rest of us they’re absolutely terrified.

But their strength comes from the hundreds of eyes watching, knowing their next meal is reliant on that one brave leap.

Because courage happens when the love of what we’re standing for overcomes the fear of what we’re standing against. When the compassion for those we’re helping outweighs the scorn of those we’re facing.

Earlier I mentioned pioneers - the Obamas and RBGs of every generation who dove into icy water despite insurmountable odds. We love to tell ourselves they were fearless and flawless, but I’m sure they were terrified.

And they did it anyways - because they knew others needed someone to stand up for them. Because their love of what was standing behind them outweighed their fear of what waited in front.

Because when they signaled that the coast was clear, the herd knew it was safe for them to dive in too.

Here’s to jumping in so that others may follow,

Ryan