Hello, friends. Tanner's prompt for today is Be Not Afraid.
In the Tortall books, written by my favorite author, Tamora Pierce, all would-be knights have to enter a place called the Chamber of the Ordeal before they can be knighted. There is only one rule that knights have to follow while in the Chamber: they can't make a sound. Easy, right?
The Chamber forces these would-be knights to experience everything they fear the most. From spiders to drowning to darkness to failure to uselessness to helplessness to death, the Chamber spares no effort to prove that you are unworthy to be a knight of the realm. It is ruthlessly specific, magically knowing exactly how to break each individual. Only those who can withstand it without making a sound are released from the Chamber to become knights.
In the Divergent series by Veronica Roth, each person who wants to become a member of the Dauntless faction must face their fears in something called the fear landscape. They are injected with a serum that brings their fears to the forefront of their minds, and then put into a simulation in which they have to face those fears. The fewer fears one has, the more admirable a person is considered. One of the main characters, Tobias, is nicknamed "Four" because he only has four fears; most people have between ten and fifteen.
These are not the only literary examples of facing your fears, but they show an important point that is often found in our society: you have to face your fears on your own in order to be accepted. To some extent, yes, it is important and valuable to face your fears. But the Chamber of the Ordeal and the Dauntless fear landscape fail to account for the fact that you rarely have to face your fears all alone.
We are braver together, stronger together, more confident and daring and steadfast together. It's much easier to "be not afraid" when we remember that no man is an island. Imagine facing the Chamber of the Ordeal with your best friend or the fear landscape with your spouse. How much less daunting would it be?
This is Tanner's last prompt for the time being, but "be not afraid" - I have a special plan for November! Stay tuned!
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