the child of fear

Have you ever been afraid? (Scared. Frightened. Terrified.)



"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." -- Jedi Master Yoda. Star Wars Episode I

Even before Master Yoda admonished that fear brings a person suffering, people, being nothing more than ordinary human beings already knew about fear. Acknowledging fear gives it form and substance. It is one of those things whose existence, we ourselves nurture.

Whether a person admits it or not, and no matter how faithful one tries to be of Master Yoda's words of wisdom, fear seems to find its way and settle itself deep in each one of us. There may be a few fearless souls in various aspects of life; but having fears or owning up to these fears seems to be a universal thing which somehow defines and affirms that in fact, we are just human, we are mere mortals.

Our fears vary from the obscure to the well-founded, from the trivial to the more consequential. Fear may take the form of small worries and occasional jitters which could grow into useless anxieties and serious agitation. Whatever degree, fear causes disquiet and discomposure which can ultimately destroy one's good sense and alter an otherwise positive perspective.

While some fears are triggered by specific people, things, thoughts, memories, and experiences, there are those which seem to come from nowhere. When the cause of our fears and worries are unknown, we become more anxious. Sometimes, we know what causes our fears but we refuse to acknowledge that it is indeed causing our fear.

There are those who are afraid of spiders, roaches and pests. Some are scared of the dark, enclosed spaces, and high altitude areas. There are people who dare and overcome any physical challenge but are terrified by thoughts of losing a loved one, growing old, growing up, being alone or getting hurt; while others dread the idea of mediocrity, failure, and rejection.

There is the scientific, biochemical origins of our fears but no matter what causes these fears, it is comforting to know that we are not devoid of any defenses as far as dealing with these fears is concerned. When the inevitable strikes and we are face to face with our fears, we only have two choices, one is to look at fear straight in its eye and learn to master our fears. This leads us to the paths of courage. The other choice is to allow ourselves to be consumed by the fears we ourselves have allowed to thrive in our being. Taking this path only leads us to darkness. Master Yoda must really know what he was talking about.

Even as we continue to convince ourselves that we are the master of our own fears, some things are always easier said than done. What can mere mortals do? Perhaps we could all use a little help from each other. If self-assurance is in scarce supply, it would certainly help our lot if we learn to reach out and build each other's confidence and restore our faith in the goodness of people, and as cliche as it sounds, try to share a little more love.

Acceptance is also good in facing certain fears--the everything-happens-for-a-reason-mentality--accepting that some things are meant to be while others are not. Accepting that there are inescapable realities and truths which we cannot simply disregard. The more we fear about losing the people we love, the more time we waste in seizing every moment there is to express how much we value and love them. The more we worry about what other people would say and think about our actions and decisions, the less we learn to appreciate our own strengths and improve on our weaknesses.

Finally, if it helps our cause, majority of the things we fear, do not actually happen, so statistically, we have a good chance of finding ourselves on the brighter side sooner, and if not always, perhaps more often.