It has been said in some of the wisest circles that the opposite of love is fear and that hate is the absence of love. If only I could remember where I have heard that and give credit where it is deserved!
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said ‘Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain.’
But haven’t you also heard that you must love what you do and do what you love?
So then what do I do? What I love or what I fear? Or are they the proverbial two sides of the same coin?
In relationships, the more we love, the more we fear loss of a loved one. At work, the more we love our jobs the more we fear failure. In life, the more we love living, the more we fear dying. Therefore, it seems, more often than not, there can be no love without fear or fear without love.
The brave hearts and the risk takers of the world are those who understand this but choose love; love for their country, love of money and success, love of fame and fortune.
If this is true then possibly the best way to overcome fear is by focusing on the ‘love’ that led to the fear in the first place. The love, if real and true, will tide you through the challenge of facing your fears. It will bring out the lion heart in you.
As for myself, for once I put aside my unnatural fear of technology and allowed my love of learning to push me towards becoming a part of something bigger than myself.
And look how far I’ve come now! 5 years of training robots how to teach in a classroom… The 20 year old me would have laughed if this was going to be her future that unfolded!
