Fearless(ness)

I’ve been thinking a lot about fearlessness lately. What exactly does it mean to be fearless? Should fearlessness be something we strive for in life, or is fearlessness equivalent to recklessness? These questions have been rolling around in my head for days. I tried first to think of people I’ve known in my life who are fearless, and I had a hard time coming up with any. Then I realized, the problem was not the people in my life, but that I didn’t quite know how I was defining fearlessness.

So, here goes. Fearless, to me, means doing what you know is right in the face of opposition (especially strong opposition). Fearless means facing the challenges in life with a smile on your face no matter what. Fearless means fighting for and protecting and caring for those you love without regard for oneself in the process. Fearless is taking risks to achieve your goals. Fearless means not only knowing what is right, but acting upon that knowledge. These are my definition of fearless, and with this in mind, I can tell you that I know a myriad of fearless people in my life.

My grandfather, who when he was diagnosed with a form of cancer still considered incurable, always had a smile on his face, who took losing all of his hair in stride, and who seemed much more concerned with his family’s worries for him than himself. He is fearless. I would be proud to be more like him.

My mother who always tells me the truth even if she knows I’ll hate her for it, who fought me every step of the way as I went down an awful path for the last year, and even though she seemed to be losing the battle, she never gave up on me. She is fearless. Hopefully one day I’ll have more perspective like she does.

My uncle, the OBGYN who in spite of great opposition in his homes-state, stuck to his beliefs and his medical expertise on highly politicized issues. He was publicly attacked in the media and was picketed for months on end, but he did not give up fighting for what he believes in. I wish I had that kind of nerve and that strength. He is fearless.

My aunt, who risked everything when she took a leave of absence from her teaching job to pursue her passion, studying Lamaze childbirth coaching and natural childbirth. She was making nearly no money while studying, but was taking care of her two young children all day long, studying and working at the hospital. She took a great risk to pursue her passion. She is fearless. I wish I had that kind of drive.

And the list could go on and on. All of the important people in my life have shown such fearlessness and courage. They are amazing and I’m lucky to have them, even if their fearlessness drives me crazy sometimes because I often feel I cannot live up to the examples they set. Especially when, mistaking them for fearless, I started running around with a crowd that distracted me from everything that matters and nearly lost me those fearless people I described above. I mistook recklessness for fearlessness, and it nearly cost me everything. I hope one day that I can be called fearless. I know that bouncing back from hardships and bad decisions is definitely a step in the right direction. I just hope to one day make someone as proud of me as I am of the people in my life.