Balls.....

What is "having balls" anyway? I mean not the LITERAL "possessing of testicles", but the PROverbial, having balls. I mean, there is a VERY fine line between courage and stupidity, a fine line between bravery and idiocy.... Right?

I mean, the obvious "stupid" shit aside, like the "Hold mah beer and come 'n' take a look at THIS!" scenarios and other stupid things that wind up on shows like Jackass and stuff. If I were to see a group of thugs beating up on a single individual, is it balls or stupidity that would send me into action. And what would that action be? I mean, I doubt that I would ignore what was going on. I don't think I'd just stand around and watch. I would be spurred into action. But what action would I take? And when does the line from having balls to being stupid get crossed?

If I stood up for what I believe in, despite the fact that I may end up standing alone, there are times when I might end up being ostracized because I did. I mean, there are so many different scenarios that one could come up with. But is that really considered "having balls"?

I realize that a lot of people wouldn't. I realize that because I have and I will, I am not like those others who won't or don't. (We've all seen it, right? Those people who do nothing and walk away.... It's called the bystander effect. Look it up.) I don't define these actions as "having balls" though. I think these situations are really about doing what's right. So then what?

Is "having balls" about doing something crazy, extreme, adrenaline pumping action type stuff? Bungee jumping, sky diving, zip lining, car racing, extreme sports? I mean, it does take a certain amount of courage to jump off a platform at high heights after looking down at the ground. (It's not the descent or rapid acceleration that kills/ hurts you. It's the sudden deceleration, after all.....) Or maybe "having balls" is doing something, despite the fact that you have trepidations or fears.

I have been called "ballsy" on more than one occasion, I've been told I have "balls the size of bowling balls", "brass balls", "king sized mega balls", "King Kamehameha of balls".... You get the idea. That's a lot of balls. I've always took it as a compliment.

I know that I have probably put way too much thought into this little notion of mine, but it's just another one of those random things floating around in my head.