"Never be afraid..." by Daniel Gamble

“Never be afraid of who you are,” is one of the core lines of the latest Star Wars movie. In another universe, a dying Mr. Wayne looks at his son Bruce, who is crying in the alleyway, and says, “don’t be afraid”. Many more poignant moments from some beloved and popular films come to mind for me, maybe for you too. These movies are not the most culturally deep or nuanced, but they still speak meaningfully to us. We watch these heros wrestling with their fears as deeply as they can stand. 

Fear is important to us. 

When I think of some of my very simple best moments of my life, a lack of fear notes those moments. One such moment was not necessarily much more than that: no fear. I was walking down a recently drizzled sidewalk. Red and golden oak leaves spattered the ground. I noticed the beauty of the leaves, and something swelled within me. I realized, I was not afraid. And I longed to always be such. 

Of course, most of the time, I am not such. I am usually afraid. Anxiety runs in my family, hard. What if I mistakenly trespass my deepest ethics today, hums through my psychi. What if everything I believe is wrong? What if I am forever alone? What if my greatest longings were sitting patiently behind that door I walked past 37 times this week?

Encouraged by the writings of Henri Nouwen, I have learned the practice of listening to my life and getting to know the parts of my that I would rather be rid of. Those parts of me that hurt and scare. 

If you are anything like me, the experience of being tied up in knots internally, of reaching for understanding and touching nothing, this only grows the fear. Fear births fear. And so, the practice of asking myself simple questions comes into play.  What are you afraid of? Why? So what? What are you afraid of? The simplicity is important. 

These questions seem to turn on the lights a bit….join Emerging Spaces to read more. 

Will Joseph