CONQUERING THE WORLD WITH COURAGE

Everyone has experienced fear at some time or the other. However unknown to most people, there exists a fast dwindling species of humans to whom fear is not an option. If ever someone were to call upon such an example, my paternal grandmother would have been my only suggestion. She is more than 75 years old. However even the younger generation cannot stake a claim to her kind of bravery. Her story is an inspiration to many. She lost her mother to cancer, only to be widowed at an early age. Her husband (my grandfather) also died of cancer. Then just as she was learning to be content, she lost her third son, who was my father, to the same dreaded disease. It’s been just over a year since my father died and she has just received some horrible news. Her youngest son has been diagnosed with malignancy. Most people would have just collapsed at such a situation but not my grandmother. She did cry a bit and curse the fate that left her hale and hearty while her children suffered. However after that she was back to normal or at least something close to normalcy. She has taken even this in her stride. She does not spend every minute crying and wallowing in self-pity. On the contrary she’s trying he best to see to it that she’s not burden to anyone. Since she lives alone she says she uses the mundane activities of daily life like cooking and cleaning to keep her mind occupied. She always says, that when you give in to fear, your whole life changes.
Fear is an emotion that can take over your mind and wipe out all other emotions. Fear can make you forget to live. Fear can replace all happiness in your mind. Fear can drive you to do things that otherwise you wouldn’t have even considered. Fear can turn anyone into a failure. It’s not easy to avoid succumbing to fear. However all of us should remember that the emotion called fear has never done anyone any good.
What do people fear? Poverty? Illness? Starvation? Homelessness? Or the ultimate … that is death? Think about it. Don’t people who are poor live in this world? A lot of them live not just barely, but very happily. Don’t the homeless exist even without shelter? Don’t some people who are ill go through life happily? Don’t people who are starving find a way to keep themselves alive? What could be the worst? Death? As long as you’ve conquered your fear of death, you won the battle of life. All it requires is some logic. Why do you fear death?
One of the reasons could be because it might take away someone who is near and dear to you. Well what if it does? Think you won’t live through it. Wrong answer! You’ll continue to live as life teaches you that you have to. After all there are other people who care for you and love you. Then slowly the wounds of time will be healed by god’s greatest gift to humanity…forgetfulness. Try as hard as you might, you will begin to forget. Memories become sketchy and incidents get vague. It’s not because you're bad, but because you’re human.
Another reason people fear death is because it could happen to you. At this point it would help to realize the truth of life …everyone who is born into this world, has to die. It is just a question of how, where and when. Some of the people, who die young, have probably achieved much more in life than some others who live to be 90 or more. Besides when you die it’s not you but the others who suffer.
So all you have to do to conquer your fear, is to remind yourself of the following-
Life is too short to be spent in fear
Fear can cause only harm
Fear death and that fear will rule your life, control your emotions and dictate your actions.
Instead learn to live a quality life full of laughter, love and contentment. Tell yourself that fear is not an option to you. Hold your head high and walk strong, afraid of nothing and scared of nobody. A person can live without anything, if he lives with courage. The world needs more courage and more confidence. The world needs more people like my real life heroine, my grandmother. Then of course, to all of you who are living full lives right now, with no fear of the future…I salute you! And someday the world will too!