“The way of the superior man is threefold, but I am not equal to it. Virtuous, he is free from anxieties; wise, he is free from perplexities; bold, he is free from fear.”
When do we consider that we fear something? Fear seems to arise from a lack of control. Death, for example, can be a prime motivator to believe in a God. For Confucius, knowledge was "the" component to being superior. For Nietzsche, not being a "slave" elevated the person. Each thinker expressed a common sentiment: it is freedom which we desire to attain and in this freedom we become better.
Back in college I had to give a two minute unprepared speech on the famous FDR quote regarding fear. I argued that the statement "we have nothing to fear but fear itself" was wrong. Fear can be a great motivator, but only when we are strong. I find this sentiment in the superior man reference, but in a different approach.
Confucius would want us to be free from fear by being bold. It would be easy to read this as we should not fear but I do not feel that would be accurate. Through virtue and wisdom we attain a level of confidence and vision so to embrace and overcome fear. What this demands is a high level of honesty to self and others, and to a greater degree personal accountability. As long as I am binding myself to a belief system which inherently has me limited I will turn to it when fear grips me.
This idea is obviously deeper and more complex than a hit and run blog entry but at the surface there is a basic element at work. While we sit and marvel at those around us who overcome and succeed, what is it that holds us back? Fear of public speaking, fear of humiliation, fear of loneliness or fear of failure are but a few stones. Honesty towards the obstacles is a start which then leads one to the "path'. Once on the path we must be careful that fear does not handcuff us in a manner that Nietzsche warned: that being a system which requires acceptance of rules without question. It is then that we can be bold enough to see the stones not as obstacles but as parts of the path which we are creating.
Back in college I had to give a two minute unprepared speech on the famous FDR quote regarding fear. I argued that the statement "we have nothing to fear but fear itself" was wrong. Fear can be a great motivator, but only when we are strong. I find this sentiment in the superior man reference, but in a different approach.
Confucius would want us to be free from fear by being bold. It would be easy to read this as we should not fear but I do not feel that would be accurate. Through virtue and wisdom we attain a level of confidence and vision so to embrace and overcome fear. What this demands is a high level of honesty to self and others, and to a greater degree personal accountability. As long as I am binding myself to a belief system which inherently has me limited I will turn to it when fear grips me.
This idea is obviously deeper and more complex than a hit and run blog entry but at the surface there is a basic element at work. While we sit and marvel at those around us who overcome and succeed, what is it that holds us back? Fear of public speaking, fear of humiliation, fear of loneliness or fear of failure are but a few stones. Honesty towards the obstacles is a start which then leads one to the "path'. Once on the path we must be careful that fear does not handcuff us in a manner that Nietzsche warned: that being a system which requires acceptance of rules without question. It is then that we can be bold enough to see the stones not as obstacles but as parts of the path which we are creating.