“Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

This is Paul Muad'dib's self-testimony on fear in Frank Herbert's science fiction masterpiece Dune. Paul employs his mantra on fear to help him conquer desert-gladiators, Harkonnen assassins and giant sandworms. Fortunate for us, Earth is (for the time being) free of such unpleasantries. Our bioclimate is defined by water and greenery, a far-cry from Dune's endless sands and desert plateaus.

Of course, this does not mean that we are free from adversity. Adversity is what tests our character. When adversity dominates us, or when we simply do not have the tools to combat adversity, our minds resort to fear. Paul knows that adversity is inevitable, that at some point he will have to face some unknown adversity. Therefore, fear is inevitable. Paul acknowledges the inescapability of fear and denounces it; "I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me."

Fear is ugly. We hate being afraid. We pity other people who are afraid, whether they are family, total strangers, or cartoon characters, as in this case.

For those of you who aren't familiar, Courage the Cowardly Dog was a Cartoon Network program about a pink-furred mutt with an uncanny ability to stumble across terrifying circumstances - like a chicken from outer-space or a barber with a ¿sexually motivated? compulsion to shave his clients bald without their knowing.

So yeah. Late 90’s animation. Back to the subject matter.

Courage is mostly someone that we are meant to pity, not just because he is the subject of cartoon animal abuse. We pity Courage because he is afraid. While Courage can hardly be blamed for being stuck inside a never-ending loop of random encounters with the uncanny, we can easily identify with Courage's constant state of fear.

In fact, Courage is the only character that ever actually feels fear (the running joke of the whole series). Only Courage can see the truth of his surroundings. Muriel and Eugene (Courage's adopted parents - er, owners) are comically oblivious to the horrors that surround their home in the middle of Arkansas-or-whatever. As viewers we recognize that there is something to be afraid of. We understand the irony of the situation - the other characters should be afraid, but no one but Courage ever seems to notice. We are asked to identify with Courage.

Courage always manages to save Muriel and Eustace, usually without them realizing how close to death they just came. He faces his fears, even if it kills him to do so. Keeping his adopted family safe is more important than any trauma facing his fears may bring. And that makes him the bravest cowardly dog that's ever lived. At the end of each episode, we come to appreciate Courage for facing his fears. Why is this?

It's because all of us, you and I included, are afraid.

Our society regards fear in a funny way. Fear is the reason why so many people tell themselves that they are content with their lives even when they are stuck answering phones or crunching spreadsheets 9-to-5. It's scary to take risks. It's scary to put yourself out there, to set yourself up for potential failure. But it's preferable to allowing fear to dominate you. Should we pity the fearful, the paper-pushers and the Courages of the world? No. We should hold both ourselves and one other accountable for their unwarranted fears. But this doesn't mean that we should simply discount people as 'lazy' or 'pathetic' for being afraid. We should encourage each other to conquer our fears. All it really takes is telling someone you believe in them - and then checking back in a week. And when we do manage to conquer our fears we should reward each other, just as we silently reward Courage at the end of each episode for his secret bravery.

So, back to the point. Why the hell did I name this thing after something so inherently negative?

It's mostly because I am afraid.

I deal with my own fear-complex every day. Everyone does. The seduction of limiting my own potential culls to me every day. It's the little demon underneath your pillow that whispers "Take it easy today - relax" in your ear at night. When you listen to that voice you allow your fear to become the little-death. If you succumb to your fears and choose to ignore your ambitions, then you may as well be dead.

This forum-of-sorts is dedicated to this sentiment. In a way it's an accountability measure; it joins my 'have-to-do-it-or-otherwise-you-failed' list. Ultimately, I hope sharing these stories will make me less afraid, more adept in risk-taking and more willing to invest in myself. I want to squash the little demon, to let him know that no matter what he asks I won't sign his bullshit book. Above all, I hope my self-centered ranting will encourage you to do the same. Whether the results are mediocre or masterful doesn't really matter - you won't really know unless you try.

One thing this blog will not be is pleasing; by that I mean I’m not here to clamor for the approval of whoever-the-fuck decided that top-10 lists or Newt Gingrich novels are things worth sharing. I hope you understand this policy. If not, I understand. We are all looking for something to make a part of ourselves. I hope you’ll find something like that hidden in these words. If not, I hope you go and find it for yourself.

I’m far from perfect. No one is, and maybe that makes it impossible to ever truly ‘conquer’ fear. After all, there are no god-emperors or sandworm riders in the real world. Yet. But I’d rather work towards something that may be impossible than allow it to destroy me from within.

One last thing - fuck fear. When you leave fear behind only you remain. No-one but you.

I must not fear.