Fear

Fear is a funny thing because even the bravest man has some sort of fear. Fear is weakness, yet everyone thinks that they are invincible for some reason. I'm afraid that you, my friend, are afraid. We are all afraid of something. Doesn't matter if it's irrational or completely reasonable, it's still fear and fear is still weakness.

But I'm afraid too. I'm afraid of a lot of things.

I'm afraid of being lonely. I'm afraid of disappointing my mom. I'm afraid of being obnoxious, so I keep my mouth shut. I'm afraid of sharing things about myself. I'm afraid of going home because I'm afraid of my dad and how, slowly, my mom is taking his side. I'm afraid of not being recognized. I'm afraid of the city at night. I'm afraid of looking bad. I'm afraid of being judged. I'm afraid of hobos being inside dumpsters every time I approach one. I'm afraid of being rejected. I'm afraid of the future, which seems so hopeless right now. I'm afraid of showing who I really am. I'm afraid of looking weak. I'm afraid of being a disappointment. I'm afraid of girls because I'm terrified of the drama they create. I'm afraid of how opinionated I am. I'm afraid of becoming transparent. I'm afraid of the dark. I'm not afraid of getting hurt physically, but being hurt emotionally is a completely different story. I'm afraid of revealing secrets. I'm afraid of squirrels. I'm afraid of growing old. I'm afraid of wrinkles and sags. I'm afraid of being rude. I'm afraid of remembering but I'm also afraid of forgetting. I'm afraid of disrespecting and being disrespected.

See I'm scared too. Maybe of a lot or a lot less things than you, but I'm still just as squeamish as you are. The key to being brave is standing up to the fears you have and showing them how unreasonable they are. So that's what I'm going to do from now on. Is prove to my fears exactly how weak they are. Exactly how strong I am. After all, fear is weakness, right?