Courage: The Dog | The Existential List #1

IRL!

Wait, a minute…where did this puppy come from?

I’d never seen the little fella before. Basanti, the stray turned neighborhood dog, had given birth to four puppies. But lo and behold, here was a fifth. My wife and I had been feeding Basanti’s pups from the day they were weaned, so we were pretty sure we hadn’t missed one all this while. Plus, there was something different about this pup.

The first thing we noticed about him wasn’t the fact that he was tinier than the rest, or that one of his eyes looked smaller than the other. No, the first thing we noticed was how exceptionally friendly he was. The other four were warily huddled away at a distance as usual, waiting for us to coddle them into eating their evening snacks. This new pup, on the other hand, ran straight towards us as if he’s known us all his life (which couldn’t have been longer than a couple of months).

He stopped right in front of us, buzzing with excitement, his little tail flickering in every direction. We gave him treats to his heart’s content, and a name: Chotu the Courageous. Then the other four also came forward and had their fill. This was interesting because we would usually have to go to them and convince them to eat. Little did we know that this would just be the beginning of The Chotu Effect.

As the days unfolded, it became increasingly clear that Chotu was indeed a lost runt from another litter, which was nowhere to be found. We also noticed the dynamics between him and Basanti’s litter. Even though Basanti had accepted Chotu as one of her own, the other four had not. They left him out of everything, even growling at him when he tried to play with them. Chotu was physically and temperamentally still an outsider in their eyes.

Yet, this didn’t seem to deter his spirit. Chotu would set off on his own little adventures, confidently trotting up to the neighbors' doorsteps, his eyes blinking endearingly as he charmed his way into getting treats. Chotu's influence on the neighborhood and especially on Basanti's original litter had only just begun.

Over time, the dynamics within the pack shifted. The initial bullying subsided, replaced first by a begrudging respect that eventually blossomed into genuine acceptance. His courage, his willingness to confront life head-on, inspired a collective transformation. The other pups began to mirror his confidence, approaching the world with a newfound openness. Some neighbors who didn’t even like dogs began to come around because of Chotu. The vet was impressed by how good natured Chotu was during his check-up and vaccination. Even our cat whose affection is very hard to earn seemed to have a soft spot for him. Peak Chotu Effect.

It was official. Chotu the Courageous had prevailed, and he brought everyone along for the ride. Chotu is the pup-shaped embodiment of existential fortitude. Rollo May distills centuries of existentialist thought on courage as follows:

Kierkegaard and Nietzsche and Camus and Sartre have proclaimed that courage is not the absence of despair; it is, rather, the capacity to move ahead in spite of despair.

…[J]ust as one’s heart, by pumping blood to one’s arms, legs, and brain enables all the other physical organs to function, so courage makes possible all the psychological virtues.

- Rollo May, The Courage to Create (1975)

Chotu's journey from an overlooked runt to the beloved leader of his new-found pack is the existential vision of courage in motion. He never gives into resentment and approaches life with an unyielding spirit of friendliness and fortitude despite his circumstances. This disposition towards life is a practical demonstration of May's idea of courage — the willingness to engage constructively with the existential condition despite uncertainty and despair.

Chotu's influence on the other puppies shows us the transformative power of courage. Leading by example, he inspires positive change in the attitude of the whole litter. This underlines May's view of courage as not only a personal virtue but a catalyst for improving every aspect of our shared existence. To sum it all up, Chotu reminds us that the act of showing up over and over again with courage can be life-changing.

So, here’s to Chotu the Courageous!

See you next week!

Love,

Yepi (and Chotu)