Beirut skyline
This is a poem that I’ve been writing off and on for a few weeks. I know it’s not the usual shtick for my blog, and it’s not likely to win any awards (I’m no great poet). However, given recent events, I’ve decided to post it anyway. Hopefully it’ll give you some food for thought.
So, without further ado, I give you “Fear and Uncertainty” by me (Quinton Lawman).
I fear death, but find it curious.
I fear uncertainty, but seek it out.
I fear fear itself, but I do not let it rule me.
Fear isn’t a killer, but a motivator.
Fear can both direct, and misdirect.
Fear cannot be escaped, it is pervasive.
Fear can both build, and destroy.
I will not let fear govern me.
I will think through the fear, and in doing so, master it.
I will not let fear go unchallenged.
I will seek to enlighten, and in doing so, foster courage.
Do not let fear rule your decisions, because that’s what the people that are trying to make you afraid want you to do. We all need to remember where we came from, and what it took to create the societies in which we live. If we let terror and xenophobia (born of that terror) rule who we are and what we do, then we’ve already lost.
Those that wield fear as a weapon want you to be afraid, and they want your mind to be clouded by it. Don’t give in to those instinctual impulses. The ability to control our fear, and to act rationally is one of the things that clearly define us as a sentient species. Let’s not lose that. Let’s not act like dumb beasts.
Paris skyline