Dear Those Afraid,
Fear. The famous quote by Franklin Delano Roosevelt says, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” An inspirational quote, no doubt, but to fully understand the quote you have to know the definition of fear. Webster’s dictionary defines fear as “to be afraid of, to expect or worry about something." President Roosevelt was right. What do we have to fear but fear itself? Considering the definition of fear, we realize that the word is not describing the object but our reaction. The reaction is what makes us fearful.
When faced with a situation that seems frightening, take a second look. Is it the scenario that is wrong or your reaction? Every circumstance that we are placed in has a way out. However, when faced with a problem, people don't always recognize the solution. The quote is spot on when telling us that fear of the situation is the only thing we should fear. Because of our reaction to the problem we freeze, freak out, hide, run away or seclude ourselves. This does nothing to solve the issue or resolve anything. Instead, we can’t react, and that’s what we are ultimately afraid of. We are afraid of the fear because we can’t do anything on our own.
That’s just it, though — you don’t have to do it on your own. When caught in a circumstance that you’re not sure how to handle, don’t try and fix it by yourself. We have to realize that we aren’t strong enough to take on everything without help. First of all, look around. People are there for you, be it friends, family, teachers, supervisors or anyone that is close to you. Then realize there is something bigger that you can consult and that will help you through. God is there whenever you need Him and He is bigger than the situation. You are never alone. The only thing that we are to fear is the fear itself — that’s what really hurts us.
