The switch from fear to audacity

As an individual, I’m very much aware of the power of fear and its devastating impact on certain people’s lives. When I was a small kid, my life revolved around fear, for many different reasons. 

Primarily from my parents, probably based upon the manner they were reared. They instilled in me a strong fear of authority, beginning of course with them. I never dared challenging my parents and this fear of their authority lasted well into my early twenties. 

In addition to that fear, was the kind of oppression the Catholic religion I was brought up into, added to that by turning everything pleasurable into something undesirable and with it an ironclad guarantee to end up in hell. While I didn’t necessarily believe in the existence of a God, I was almost convinced of a permanent dark force out there intent to get me by all possible means. 

To add to that rather bleak picture, my parents would relish in telling me stories about devilish acts of witchcraft that were quite common in the remote mountain village where we lived. As a result, I was saturated by fear as a kid, particularly at night, when I heard voices, or all kinds of rhythmic noises that frequently were eerily amplified and many of my nights turned into something more nightmarish than peaceful. 

I must admit that I didn’t get out this rut of fear by myself through reading and educating myself, but more so by finding myself surrounded by fearless individuals that gradually showed me that life was not just possible, but passionately enjoyable out of the jaws of fear and, through imitation, I got out of the world of fright to wet my toes into that of limitless possibilities. 

In retrospect, I have many times been angry about all these years lost in oppression and darkness. That wasted time, had it not existed, would have made a huge difference during my formative years, but I console myself by having lived a much more audacious live ever since and have probably leapfrogged these long lost years. 

As a trait that surrounds us all the time, fear is a natural response to the unfamiliar and a protection against certain dangers, but it should never overwhelm our lives to the point it has to dictate each and everyone of our actions. 

In addition to opening up the door to risk-taking, audacity allows us to confront our fears head-on, pushing us to step outside our comfort zones, exceed our expectations and dare us conquer the obstacles that are in our way. A life well lived often lies on the other side of fear.