Trepidation, of sorts.

“Bran thought about it. ‘Can a man still be brave if he’s afraid?'
'That is the only time a man can be brave,’ his father told him.” 

― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

Picture from: http://www.martyduren.com/2013/03/02/fear-not/

We are all scared of something, or someone.

Fear is always attached to our humanity, as bees to a flower’s nectar. Fear grounds us, and it makes us realize that not everything is easily conquerable or that the odds will not always be in our favor. The same fear that eats us up is also possibly the reason that keeps us alive and compels us fight for something, or again, for someone.

In my limited units in Psychology in college, fear is seen as a vital response to a physical or emotional danger. If we can’t feel fear, we could not protect ourselves from legitimate threats.  But the idea is not just to rise above our fears and be the ideal man without fear such as Batman. We can’t always be Batman, I am told. The idea is to understand where the fear is coming from, and be able to at least work around it.

But not all fears could be easily risen above. The struggle remains: a constant everyday pull towards the inevitable anxiety of not knowing what lies ahead. This is true for the things we hold dear, and the people who truly matter. 

Eddard Stark, Bran’s father in the Game of Thrones, reminds us that only when we are afraid can we be truly brave. Because, holding on to our fear validates our need to be strong.