Is fear something bad? Do you think that you’ll look weak to people if you are afraid of something? Well, my own opinion is that’s not true at all: I believe fear is not something evil; it only tells us what our weaknesses and/or insecurities are. And once you know your weakness, you can become stronger as well as kinder. Humans are human because of the capacity of realizing their fears, and so I did. My life has been a roller coaster since I born, so the word “fear” is one of the words in the top of it – slowing down while it goes to the top until it just goes down flashing over the rails.
Different experiences in my life had been a total source of understanding my own meaning of fear. Experience 1: Insecurities, jitters, and panic are some ingredients that often lead people to cook their fears of something, and those ingredients are often found when people get lost and cannot find anyone. When I was little – I suppose when I was around 7 years old – I got lost in the middle of a beach, around night time. I couldn’t help it but to get scared. People walking near me made me feel very unease. But then I realized I was not alone; I was with my loyal dog Pelusa – he would be named Fluff in English.
Even if it was impossible for me, I think he was telling me to not be afraid and do not give up hope. So then, I stop feeling lost and hopeless and started to look for my parents with him by my side. Of course, after a while, we could find them and go back home with them. However, I knew then that I could never forget that time, because it was where I knew my own weakness – A weakness of being lost and feeling alone all by myself. But, even when I felt this way, it wasn’t something that bad so I would just give up hopes.
This is what Pelusa made me believe in, and I’m grateful for it. Experience 2: New schools in new different countries is a very difficult test for a child like me, who doesn’t want to have a big zero in her “new friends” grade. So, when a new “adventure” began in a whole new world, I’ve been always on my own. When people ask me if I’m lonely, I obviously say no. But back then, I would always start crying or sobbing alone somewhere else because I knew I was lonely, and that there was nothing I could do for me not to be it anymore.
I was terrified by only thinking of being alone all along in this new environment. Even when I grow up, my loneliness takes over my body and tries to pull me down in the abyss of my fears. I had no idea what to do, or what to think about. But then I realized, that even if my loneliness pulls me down, I still had people who will pull me up again every time I feel like falling. After some days or weeks, I could start talking to other people and make new friends at school. I finally started to stop being afraid, and could find my spot in this new world I came to.
Now, I still change of school after some times, but I am not afraid anymore, because I understand that it is not something that only happens to me, but to everyone who have the same experience as me, and decided to stand up. Fears should be avoided, but accepted so you could move a step further. My own fears taught me that: they are nor bad nor evil, but it only depends on how people see them in a situation, whom usually look at them as a bad thing. It probably sounds different from what you’ve heard, but this is my belief basing myself in this experience.
Experience 3: My friend was only 10 years old when her “change” happened. She was kidnapped in Mexico when, in the city of Juarez, young girls were token away from their families and suffer the greatest of the despairs that they could have in their lives. After this happens, I’ve heard a good news that she was found two years after her kidnapping; they might have been so happy and relieved when they did. I also heard, that when she was found, she changed a little. Not in a bad way, but in a really good way. I was curious, so on day I called her.
First of all, I asked her how her experience was at those moments while she was kidnapped. She only told me that all she saw was darkness, tears, and fear spreading all over the place. So I asked her if she still was afraid of going out of the house, fearing of being taken away again. She kept quite a little bit; it was a moment like those seconds that can be felt like hours. After a while, she answered that she obviously was, but she couldn’t just forget about it either. She said that if she hadn’t been taken way, she couldn’t find out that her own fears, and she wouldn’t have the chance to enjoy life again.
That she wouldn’t let that stop her of moving on in life, so she did not mind about it and was enjoying life even more than before. I was surprised that after all that she could said that. From that moment, I took her experience as an example of life to look up to. So brave, so full of hopes, so gentle She made me believe that being afraid was something essential in life, like pain or regrets. Now, I’m proud of saying that I believe that we must move forward and reach for what we want, especially when we are afraid. Otherwise, we stand still, we become lazy, we atrophy, and we miss all the wonderful terror of this world.
Therefore, I believe fears are essential in life. Human who think they can get rid of it easily haven’t grown or learned enough. If we’re ever afraid, we just have to take action, stand up and move on. We humans have two legs for it, so we can stand and walk. Maybe we can’t help it being scared all alone. There are people who don’t even have their own legs to walk on. However, it is all fine, because they still have people around them who help them to stand up as well. We all have got people who we love and love us close by as well. So, there’s nothing to be afraid of, because we are not alone after all
