2008 Woodie Awards
National motto would be 'no fear'
Michael Tate
Issue date: 3/16/07 Section: Opinion
In my ongoing effort to make sweeping generalizations based solely on personal observation, I make the following claim: I believe that everyone you will ever meet is afraid of something.
Of what are we afraid? You might respond with something obvious, like the fear of being alone. You could also say that some people are afraid of drunk drivers, spiders, or heights. Those things are all very legitimate fears, but what I want people to try to discover about themselves is how fear motivates them in their daily life. Fear motivating us? That's right. It's very often that way. Consider the last time that someone insulted you… Did you insult that person back? Hmm…now ask yourself some more questions… If you didn't insult the person back, why not? Was it really because you respected it and wanted to treat it as you wished to be treated, or was it because you were afraid of a reaction or because you didn't want to get into a fight?
In the example of the questions that I just asked, I consider not wanting to get into a fight as a fear of losing a fight or of being insulted again. It is my firm belief that, in this situation, a non-fearful reaction would be to not insult the person back but also to purposefully and assertively tell the person why you think that he/she is wrong. If you insulted that person back, you were motivated by a fear of feeling inferior.
If I were a monarch, the national motto would be "no fear" because I believe that making people conscious of their fears is one of the best ways to help people get along. Making people aware of their fears makes getting along better possible in that overcoming fear has widespread affects on our ability to understand each other. When we understand each other, we indubitably live in greater harmony. In my kingdom, the phrase "no fear" would not signify daring or willingness to speak your mind. While those virtues are valuable in certain situations, in my kingdom it would be far more valuable to have people respect each other and to get along.
If people get along with those around them, their lives are far more enriching, and, in my kingdom, I would want my friends/subjects to have enriching lives.
Of what are we afraid? You might respond with something obvious, like the fear of being alone. You could also say that some people are afraid of drunk drivers, spiders, or heights. Those things are all very legitimate fears, but what I want people to try to discover about themselves is how fear motivates them in their daily life. Fear motivating us? That's right. It's very often that way. Consider the last time that someone insulted you… Did you insult that person back? Hmm…now ask yourself some more questions… If you didn't insult the person back, why not? Was it really because you respected it and wanted to treat it as you wished to be treated, or was it because you were afraid of a reaction or because you didn't want to get into a fight?
In the example of the questions that I just asked, I consider not wanting to get into a fight as a fear of losing a fight or of being insulted again. It is my firm belief that, in this situation, a non-fearful reaction would be to not insult the person back but also to purposefully and assertively tell the person why you think that he/she is wrong. If you insulted that person back, you were motivated by a fear of feeling inferior.
If I were a monarch, the national motto would be "no fear" because I believe that making people conscious of their fears is one of the best ways to help people get along. Making people aware of their fears makes getting along better possible in that overcoming fear has widespread affects on our ability to understand each other. When we understand each other, we indubitably live in greater harmony. In my kingdom, the phrase "no fear" would not signify daring or willingness to speak your mind. While those virtues are valuable in certain situations, in my kingdom it would be far more valuable to have people respect each other and to get along.
If people get along with those around them, their lives are far more enriching, and, in my kingdom, I would want my friends/subjects to have enriching lives.
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