On Fearlessness

 

I have a visceral reaction to the word "fearless.  According to the Merriem-Webster Dictionary, fearless means "free from fear" or "brave".  Are bravery and freedom from fear the same thing?  And are any of us truly free from fear?  I know that I'm not.

Most choices in life involve inherent risk.  

Risk tends to be scary and invigorating at the same time.  

Making a decision and proceeding with it isn't an act of fearlessness, it's an act of Courage.

The word, "Courage" could be applied to a soldier in the field, a fire fighter entering a burning building, a new teacher entering a classroom on the first day of school, or a patient showing up for a lifesaving treatment.  These individuals are likely afraid, but they show up anyway and forge forward in the face of uncertaintly.

The word Courage could also be applied to acts that are not nearly this grand.  It can applied more liberally to most of us on most days.  Sometimes the act of rising in the morning and facing the world is wildly courageous.  Perhaps we should stop holding ourselves and others to the unrealistic expectation of never being afraid, and instead celebrate the acts of courage that each of us exhibit daily as we walk this wild wonderful world.