On Fear

Most people experience fear when they have to take a certain action. This sort of fear is natural, and anyone who sees you take the action will empathize with what you are going through. But there is a worse fear, and that is the fear of not taking an action. If you are afraid of not doing something, it implies that there is a defect in your current situation.

For example, if you are afraid of never finding love, you may be extremely confident in how you approach someone you find attractive. But confidence born of fear is nothing more than a deceit. In reality, you are like a beggar afraid of starving to death. The beggar is not confident; he begs because he feels that he must do it to survive.

Unfortunately for the fearful, this approach never works for anything other than basic, crude subsistence. People do not like being afraid, so they certainly will not like interacting with someone who is constantly driven by fear.

It almost sounds like a paradox: the only way you will ever avoid the possibility of dying alone is if you first stop fearing it. Only when you accept the possibility and find contentment within yourself, will you then be able to have good experiences with other people.

Our bodies have no real understanding of spiritual or rational principles. They are fundamentally illogical. They fear when there is literally nothing to fear whatsoever. I could be sitting in bed listening to music with a full belly, and my body will still annoy me with the most insufferable emotions and thoughts ever to exist on this planet. And it is all out of fear. Endless fear. Fear that begets more fear. Fear that ruins my day and makes me want to give up.

A happiness swells inside me when I conquer my fear. Sometimes my defense against fear must be sustained for an hour, or perhaps the whole day. I have only ever felt bad, truly terrible, when I let fear get the better of me. Every mistake I have ever made was because I let fear decide how I should act.

May this article represent a final vow to never let fear get the better of me. I will hone my spirit into one that can withstand anything, and I will revel in every moment that comes and goes, never forgetting how great it feels to be fearless.