are you afraid of fear?

Brave are those who put their fear in the forefront for others to see . I am not usually one of those courageous people,  so I admire them greatly.   Why are we so afraid to say we are afraid, to admit we have fear?  We are all afraid.

And yet, we can often feel paralyzed and profoundly alone in our fear. We MUST be the only that feels this way, right?! When I feel most afraid and absolutely sure I am the only one that is trembling when merely thinking about taking a step forward,  my buddhist teacher soberly reminds me , “You havent cornered the market on that one.”   

Maybe the reasons why we are afraid and how it manifests itself in our lives is different for each of us, but the universality of this emotion is pure and raw and real. 

{Feal the fear and do it anyway.  Be fear-less.  You must do something that scares you everyday.}

Wise words of wisdom from famous fear {full/less} people. The rest of us have learned how to murmur positive affirmations, bargain with our God, and hope that our unsteady gate and quivering lips will calm down somewhere between the first sentence we speak and the last hoorah we hear.  And yet, it doesn’t quite get down to the heart of what really matters and how we really feel. 

It wasn’t until I read the Sacred Path of the Warrior that I realized that fear was not only universal, but that it was a necessary part of our path.  Finally, someone  was telling the truth– out loud, for all to hear.  It was a relief and a revelation. An exaltation and celebration.  I could finally surrender, knowing that beneath what could only be seen from the outside {a perfect presentation, the well-worn easy elegance ,  the articulate intellectualism}  there was a human being that was, quite simply, afraid. Of something, someone, sometime. Details are irrelevant when your perception is your truth.  

{We’re all dying to be seen, but terrified bare our souls.}  

Time to get naked, i say.