Where Did Our Fear Begin?

“Life is pain, Princess…anyone who says different is selling something” — -The Princess Bride

In speaking of fear, and the way to reclaim our courage, the very natural question is: how did we lose it? If a catastrophic circumstance, or a transformative workshop or spiritual epiphany can unleash this force THEN IT IS ALREADY WITHIN US. It’s learning how to “flip the switch” that is the difficult thing.

Dawn Callan of the “Awakening the Warrior Within” workshop clearly begins with the model that we have within us the “maps” to be healthy animals, successful human beings and enlightened spirits. This circuitry can be repressed, but not destroyed. How does the repression begin? According to Dawn, in childhood:

“Imagine some behavior in a child or a belief that they have that just doesn’t line up with their parents. That is not acceptable. They put it away. Otherwise consequences are severe. If you were a little kid, if you don’t please your parents, you are completely dependent upon them. Everything. Your entire life, if you do not please them and they don’t want to take care of you anymore. That is a primal fear.”

That is a primal fear. I talk with writers almost every day who were warned by their parents to get a “day job” to support their writing. And those are the LUCKY ones. The unlucky ones are told that they can’t, shouldn’t, or mustn’t. My mother burned my stories. My teachers laughed at me, my college professor mocked me while screwing the class favorite. I was told point blank that…