We all know that at the depth of the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt in his inaugural address stated, “the only thing we have to fear…is fear itself.” But what was FDR really trying to say to the depressed and disillusioned masses that had lost everything? Simply, that fear was just a feeling, an emotion and a state of mind that did not have to take over and consume every part of people’s lives. In effect, it’s just a word, like other words, but at the height of despair and ruin, people had given in to it. Millions had given in to a simple “word”. What fear really does, if we let that “word” take over our minds and allow it to consume us, is to push us to the point where we end up losing ourselves. We start thinking we are something we are not and ultimately let fear drive every action we take, sometimes with awful results.
Yes, we all have fears. Many of us have a fear of flying, fear of dying and fear of snakes and spiders. But what about the fear of making a real commitment? Many relationships break down because one or the other partner has given in to their fear of being committed to someone else simply because they fear they might “loose” a part of themselves. Often, these individuals let their fear take over and never even give the relationship a chance to grow and thrive. Their fear of losing something, anything of themselves, as unrealistic as it may be, stamps out the flame of happiness and contentment before it’s even had a chance to burn brightly. Imagine what they have lost by letting a simple word – fear – drive their actions. Not only have they lost the opportunity to self evolve in concert with another human being they may actually love, but they have lost the opportunity to evolve and grow themselves into a life of contentment and freedom from “fear”. For these individuals, the only thing they then have to fear…is themselves.
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