To conquer an enemy, you must first conquer your fear….

Imagine a story of two monsters.

These monsters are large, probably over three times larger than the average man. They work as a team and wield multiple sharp weapons simultaneously. They each possess the ability to see in the dark, the speed to move more than 40 miles per hour, the agility to maneuver over and around perilous obstacles, and the sheer power to crush a man’s bones like a vise.

All of this sounds like the making of a fearful, fictional horror creation—a creation that could rival a team of Freddy Kruegers.

Only the monsters I have just described are not the invention of a frightful imagination. They are the real-life monsters of Tsavo, Africa, in 1898.

Years ago, when I first saw the movie rendition of this story, I thought to myself, “What an authentic horror story.” What could be more terrifying than to be torn apart, crushed, and eaten alive? To wake up in the middle of the night only to see the shadowy figure standing over you, then experience the sheer violence as it grabs you, drags you from your tent for some terrorizing distance beyond the camp, and begins tearing into you, ending with your gruesome demise.

If you are not familiar with this story, the movie The Ghost and the Darkness, starring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas, is worth watching. If you are considering seeing it, stop reading now, because what I am about to discuss contains spoilers.

This movie is actually one of my favorites, and I have revisited it over the years. Partly because of the true horror aspect of it, and partly because the story is well told. I also have to admit that I possess an incredible respect and awe for such magnificent, true predators. Observe your target, stalk to within close range, then pounce with speed and unmatched power. There is a lesson in that for any predator—or even any human hunter or warrior.

Now, don’t misunderstand me. I do not value the lion above the humans, and if I were forced to face such adversaries in order to protect myself and some of my brothers, I too would try to hunt and kill them. Yet the relief of protecting and saving human lives at the cost of destroying such creatures might also reveal a tiny measure of bitterness at their loss.

The lesson I want to reach through all of this is one of human adaptability and survival.

What ultimately defeated the Tsavo lions was not courage alone. Courage was necessary, but courage without adaptation would have simply produced more victims. The men of the camp adjusted. They built barriers. They strengthened their defenses. They altered their routines. They stood watch through the night. Most importantly, they stopped pretending the danger did not exist.

Fear is a natural response to danger. In many cases, it is a healthy response. Fear causes us to recognize threats, weigh risks, and take precautions. The problem arises when fear becomes so overwhelming that it prevents action.

To conquer an enemy, you must first conquer your fear.

The men who finally defeated the “Ghosts” were not men who felt no fear. They were men who accepted the danger, adapted to it, and acted despite it. They refused to surrender their camp, their mission, or their lives to a pair of predators that had learned to hunt men. There is a lesson there that extends far beyond Tsavo.

Whether the threat is a natural disaster, economic hardship, civil unrest, crime, or some other challenge, survival favors those who recognize reality, prepare accordingly, and take decisive action. Denial is comfortable, but it is rarely protective. The world has always contained dangers. The question is not whether dangers exist; the question is whether we are willing to acknowledge them and prepare ourselves before they arrive at the flap of our tent.

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