COURAGE WITHOUT CAUTION

Mickey Thompson (b. 1928) was born in America. He gained worldwide fame in car racing, to the point that he came to be called the Speed King. But in March 1988, he was shot and killed. At the time of his death, he was 59 years old.

Mickey Thompson was extremely daring. In November 1987, he told his friends in Los Angeles that some shady people had been threatening him over the phone. His friend Ernie Alvarado said: “Mickey told me he knew who wanted to kill him.” When the friend asked if he had informed the police, Mickey replied, “There’s no need.”

But Mickey was mistaken. On a morning in early March 1988, while he was leaving his home in Bradbury, California, with his 41-year-old wife Trudy, to go to his office, two men on bicycles appeared and opened fire. Trudy cried out desperately, “Don’t shoot, don’t shoot!” But within minutes, a hail of bullets ended both of their lives.

Back in 1960, Mickey had become the first American to drive a car at 400 miles per hour. He achieved this in a special vehicle fitted with four engines. Commenting on his tragic death, Time magazine (March 28, 1988) wrote that the same disregard for danger that had made Mickey Thompson the king of speed became the cause of his death:

“The disregard for danger that marked Thompson’s driving career may have led to his death in his own front yard.” (p. 12)

Bravery and fearlessness are admirable qualities. But human beings, after all, have limitations. No one can bear absolute bravery or unlimited fearlessness. That is why, along with courage and boldness, caution is also necessary. A person must learn to act with wisdom and prudence. An unwise leap is just as wrong as a cowardly retreat.