The Latin word impavĭdus derived, in our language, into impassive . It is an adjective that is used to describe someone who remains impassive and stoic in the face of a risky, dangerous or tense situation.
For example: “Despite the shouts and threats of the criminals, the man remained undaunted and never lost his calm ,” “The official candidate managed to remain undaunted and did not play into the game of the opposition leader, who intended to raise the tone of the debate. ” ” , “The teenager endured the insults undaunted until the bullies left” .
He who manages to remain undaunted does not lose serenity . Fear cannot subdue him and, in this way, he can act coldly, without letting himself be carried away by terror or passions.
Let's imagine a police officer trying to calm a group of people protesting the murder of a neighbor in the context of a robbery. Exalted, these individuals insult the member of the security force and demand a solution to the problem of insecurity. Despite the tense situation, the police officer remains undaunted and explains to the protesters the different actions that his force carries out. The agent, in this framework, understands the discomfort and anguish of the people, and that is why he tries not to lose his cool despite the verbal attacks he suffers and the accusations he must face.
It is important to note that this term is not very common in everyday speech, although we can find it in the field of journalism and, of course, in literature. To understand its meaning and nuances in greater depth, it is necessary to refer to a thesaurus, where we will find words like the following: bold, courageous, intrepid and impassive . Although all of them are not suitable to replace the original in any example, their respective meanings can serve to expand the concept.
Let's think about the first example presented in the second paragraph of this article: a man finds himself in a dangerous situation in which a group of criminals threaten him and yell at him; Yet he remains undaunted. We could sense that this is a fearless and courageous person, who is capable of resisting the impulse to run away or attack his aggressors, and chooses an attitude of apparent calm, which can bring him better results.
In the second example, however, perhaps adjectives such as fearless or courageous do not serve to reflect the true attitude of the politician who decides to ignore the provocations of his opponent, since it is not a dangerous situation; in this case it is probably more accurate to say that he remained unmoved .
As we can see, the concept of fearless has a clear etymological root that tells us about an attitude of indifference in the face of fear, but it also has several nuances that tell us about serenity , calm and that include situations with a high degree of danger, from a symbolic threat to a job position to the risk of serious physical injury, for example.
The noun linked to this adjective is fearlessness , and it is a trait that some claim is born with us while others believe that it is possible to develop this serenity of mind in the face of danger. The first position relates impassivity to an immutable personality characteristic; The second, on the other hand, opens the doors to learning it through experience, to become stronger in the face of adversity.
“Impávido” , finally, is the title of a Spanish film released in 2012 . The film, directed by Carlos Therón , revolves around the adventures of a car thief.