“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” - Frank Herbert, Dune
I'm not afraid of strangers knocking on my door after dark.
I'm not afraid of science.
I'm not afraid of foreigners. Or even people who look like foreigners. I've never met a person in America in a hijab who wasn't kind, respectful, and unfailingly polite.
I'm not afraid of the government trying to help.
I'm slightly wary of police offices, but I'm not afraid of them. (They're like wolves - they can sense fear.)
I'm not afraid of "losing my country." It's our country. It always has been.
I'm not afraid of young black men in hoodies on the street.
I'm not afraid of the homeless panhandlers downtown. Sympathetic sometimes, annoyed and irritated if they are aggressive. I donate to the homeless shelter and soup kitchen in town.
I'm not afraid of guns. I'm really not afraid of someone taking away my guns, since I don't own any.
I'm not afraid of paying back my student loans. I finally have a job where it'll be possible to knock them out.
I'm not afraid of taxes. I get paid too much for what I do anyway. Tax me more, and make sure that money goes to folks who are not so fortunate.
I'm not afraid of other people.
I'm not afraid of the TSA. I'm annoyed by them and wish they'd go away. I'm sickened by some of the horror stories.
I'm not afraid to drive a 1997 Honda Accord. That was a good year.
I'm not afraid of the NSA. Righteously pissed off, perhaps. Google thinks I'm a 23 year old single male. I refuse to let them know otherwise.
I'm no longer afraid to have a credit card. I didn't trust myself with one for fifteen years after getting into horrible debt. I've matured, I like to think.
I'm not afraid to stop here, for it's 1PM and lunch break is over. I have to get back to work.
There are plenty of things I worry about, but I never give in to fear.