The Ones Who Know Fear Are Never Afraid

I knew you’d come,” said the boy to his father, seated beside him in the hospital bed. “You always do.”

Father gently caressed his forehead, gazing at him with tenderness. The boy didn’t feel much like chatting. Finally, he felt safe enough to relax. But then, fear engulfed him, absolute fear, the kind that compresses time to the point where each second seems like a lifetime, while time keeps flowing regardless, second by second.

“I’m scared,” the boy admitted.

“Is it a big fear?” asked the father in a hushed tone.

“The biggest.”

“How tall is it?” questioned the father.

“Like a giant.”

“What else does it resemble?” the father probed further, softly.

“Roughness. Its feet are enormous, and it has seven toes on each foot.”

“Look it in the eyes, son.”

“I can’t,” replied the boy in panic; “it’s too tall”.

“Then… look me in the eyes,” suggested the father.

The boy gazed into his father’s eyes. Usually gentle and blue, they now appeared nearly white, glassy. They locked gazes for a long while, silence enveloping them.

“When you look fear in the eyes, fear looks back at you. When you look fear in the eyes, the fear looks defiance in the eyes. When you look fear in the eyes, the fear looks bravery in the eyes. When you look fear in the eyes, my son, you get to know it and once you truly know fear, you won’t be afraid anymore. Those who know fear cannot be afraid.” Hypnotically, the boy continued to gaze into his father’s eyes.

“Look at me, son, as if your stare could pierce my eyes, be fierce, ravenous.” As the boy’s eyes narrowed, prepared for a showdown, his father’s eyes became crystalline, transparent, and ultimately, defeated, turning into two tiny, round mirrors. His father asked him what he saw.

“I see… I see myself.”

“When you confront fear, do you see yourself?” the father sought confirmation, the boy confirming it shortly, bewildered by this realization.

“Then what are you afraid of, son?” the father inquired. “Look into your eyes, son, and tell me.”

In his father’s eyes, the boy’s eyes and the boy’s fear were reflected.