Yesterday, I talked about conformity. Today is a new day.
In the Super Mario games, there are ghosts called "Boo"s that will relentlessly chase you until you turn around and look them in the eye. Once you face them, they cower behind their hands and stay still until you turn your back on them. When I first came across them as a kid I thought they were really scary, until I realized that facing them was the key to beating them.
In life, our fears aren't so different from the Boos of the Mario games. Shining light on the darkness is a metaphor for facing our fears. We can't see well in the dark, so things like the bogeyman represent the unknown. We are naturally cautious of things we don't understand (as a survival mechanism) and so light represents us coming to see and understand what it is we're afraid of. That means facing our fears, understanding them, and figuring out how we can learn from them.
To me, running away from our fears and problems never solves them. Instead, running away is like planting the seeds of fear even deeper inside and the longer we wait to face them, the stronger those seeds grow. It's not our fears that have power over us, it's us that gives them power. They represent a part of us that's struggling to grow. In many ways we become our own worst enemy in failing to understand ourselves. That's why I think it's so important to acknowledge them and face them in our journey toward self-actualization.
Whether it's that person you're wanting to ask out, a job you really want but might not feel qualified for, or the spider that's in your bathtub, we'll find that they're not so bad when we muster the courage and willpower to face them and act. Ask that person out. Apply for that job. Catch that spider and take it outside. It's natural to have things we're afraid of. It's what we do about it that makes the difference.
Peace
"Fear grows in darkness; if you think there's a bogeyman around, turn on the light." - Dorothy ThompsonEveryone faces fear, though not always in the same way. Fear is an obstacle that tests our will. Where there's a will there's a way; however, fear often keeps us from finding it. The bogeyman represents our fear manifested. It's a monster that terrorizes us by making an enemy of the unknown. Like any problem, facing your fears head-on is usually the best way to overcome them.
In the Super Mario games, there are ghosts called "Boo"s that will relentlessly chase you until you turn around and look them in the eye. Once you face them, they cower behind their hands and stay still until you turn your back on them. When I first came across them as a kid I thought they were really scary, until I realized that facing them was the key to beating them.
In life, our fears aren't so different from the Boos of the Mario games. Shining light on the darkness is a metaphor for facing our fears. We can't see well in the dark, so things like the bogeyman represent the unknown. We are naturally cautious of things we don't understand (as a survival mechanism) and so light represents us coming to see and understand what it is we're afraid of. That means facing our fears, understanding them, and figuring out how we can learn from them.
To me, running away from our fears and problems never solves them. Instead, running away is like planting the seeds of fear even deeper inside and the longer we wait to face them, the stronger those seeds grow. It's not our fears that have power over us, it's us that gives them power. They represent a part of us that's struggling to grow. In many ways we become our own worst enemy in failing to understand ourselves. That's why I think it's so important to acknowledge them and face them in our journey toward self-actualization.
Whether it's that person you're wanting to ask out, a job you really want but might not feel qualified for, or the spider that's in your bathtub, we'll find that they're not so bad when we muster the courage and willpower to face them and act. Ask that person out. Apply for that job. Catch that spider and take it outside. It's natural to have things we're afraid of. It's what we do about it that makes the difference.
Peace
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| When we wipe away the smoke, we see that the face of fear belongs to us. |
What are you afraid of? What do these fears represent in you?
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