About
"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."
Bene Gesserit litany agains fear
from Frank Herbert's Dune
The text above is my all time favorite quote. It's found in Frank Herbert's 1965 Dune, and it's recited by the main character, Paul Atreides, as he is submitted to test his 'humanity.'
Paul's test consists of putting his hand on top of a box for a set a mount of time, and the only rule is that he can't take his hand off the box. If he takes his hand out, he would be impaled by the Gom Jabbar - a deadly poison. Paul seems to think the test is easy until the box starts burning his hand, and then he begins to feel tremendous pain. He endures the test by reciting the litany against fear, and he successfully withstands the excruciating experience.
The quote is meaningful because, just like Paul, we are often faced with situations that strike fear in our hearts and minds. While most of our situations are not life or death like Paul's, fear can become an almost paralytic state of mind stifling our success and growth. The next presentation, the next math test, that raise you are working yourself to ask, the ice-breaker conversation with that special person you wish to know, or the next competition you are trying to win, we all have situations where fear can stop us from achieving our goals.
When I am facing stressful or fearful situations, I also recite the litany. The words make me feel like fear is a momentary, fleeting emotion that will change me, but not break me. Fear is an experience I must allow to wash over me, so I can then turn and ask myself "so what did I learn from that?" I admit facing these situations is not always easy since most times it's easier to run away - the choice to avoid potential discomfort is always quite seductive; however, If I run away, I do nothing and I learn nothing, and in a world where I am constantly tested, doing or learning nothing is quite counter-productive at best and dangerous at worse.
So next time you are in a situation where fear crawls in, expunge the mind-killer. Let the feeling flow through you in order to learn and grow!
Paul's test consists of putting his hand on top of a box for a set a mount of time, and the only rule is that he can't take his hand off the box. If he takes his hand out, he would be impaled by the Gom Jabbar - a deadly poison. Paul seems to think the test is easy until the box starts burning his hand, and then he begins to feel tremendous pain. He endures the test by reciting the litany against fear, and he successfully withstands the excruciating experience.
The quote is meaningful because, just like Paul, we are often faced with situations that strike fear in our hearts and minds. While most of our situations are not life or death like Paul's, fear can become an almost paralytic state of mind stifling our success and growth. The next presentation, the next math test, that raise you are working yourself to ask, the ice-breaker conversation with that special person you wish to know, or the next competition you are trying to win, we all have situations where fear can stop us from achieving our goals.
When I am facing stressful or fearful situations, I also recite the litany. The words make me feel like fear is a momentary, fleeting emotion that will change me, but not break me. Fear is an experience I must allow to wash over me, so I can then turn and ask myself "so what did I learn from that?" I admit facing these situations is not always easy since most times it's easier to run away - the choice to avoid potential discomfort is always quite seductive; however, If I run away, I do nothing and I learn nothing, and in a world where I am constantly tested, doing or learning nothing is quite counter-productive at best and dangerous at worse.
So next time you are in a situation where fear crawls in, expunge the mind-killer. Let the feeling flow through you in order to learn and grow!