The Fear in our Lives

We are all affected by fear.

Little wonder, then, that people pick the easy major, the easy career, the easy spouse, the timely marriage/investment/retirement package/golf-course membership. Waiting for the right moment is hard. Sticking to your ideals is harder.

I consider myself to be a person of action, of energy, of enthusiasm, and often of courage. I have been called idealistic, stubborn, and kind. Therefore, one of the most difficult realizations I have come to about myself in the past year is that I am a person full of fear. I make many more decisions based on fear than I would care to admit to.

To help matters further, I am surrounded by folks of all different stripes, equally as fearful as I am.

On the surface, of course, it is not so. On the surface, I am the person I described in the first full paragraph of this article, and I make my decisions accordingly.

There is something to be said for self-examination, however, and my deepest self-analysis has shown me things I would rather not have encountered. I fear rejection, I fear failure, and I feel being alone.

Those I know best all seem to share similar deep-set fears, and it is shocking when we realize where the deepest currents of our conscience lie. It is shocking when we realize how deeply these dark currents move and affect us.

A very wise friend of mine once said that "we are children of God, and therefore we cannot be children of fear. Fear does not come from God -- it comes from the other."

How absolutely true.

While it has been painful, I'm exploring these fears now, because I know that it is the only way I can be truly faithful and brave in my life.

I'm not sure entirely why I wrote this blog, aside from my desire to vent my own frustrations while encouraging others to conquer their own deep-set existential fears.

I do not want to be motivated by fear: I want to live in hope.

"Be not afraid," the wise-men have echoed through the ages.

I'm trying.