Conquering Fears, by Fady Mikhael

When I first saw the Forbidden Art Exhibit in the Franciscan Center, a strange feeling came over me. There, I saw pictures that were odd and mysterious. But,one of the paintings caught my attention. It was painted with gloomy and dark colors. This painting was of a man walking in the dark with his shadow in front of him. It reminded me of my childhood days when I was scared of walking in the dark from my grandparents’ house to mine. Walking in the dark was a gloomy experience to me.

The reason I was afraid to walk in the dark is because the dark made me feel alone. As a child, I did not like that feeling because I realized that my parents were not with me, and it was a terrible feeling to experience. All children want their parents by their side at all times. The reason I walked in the dark was because my grandpa would force me to and because I lived in a safe neighborhood. But, most importantly, I had to get over this fear. I walked every day because I wanted to impress my grandpa for a couple of reasons. One, my grandpa was a cool and good person. Two, he was a man of charisma.

As I continued to walk alone day after day, I realized that my fear and anxiety were decreasing. Eventually, I got over this fear that I had, and I would walk each day, happy and kicking small rocks that were in my way. I was very pleased to tell my grandpa about my accomplishment. He was very happy to hear that I was not afraid of anything anymore. He bought me a candy bar as a reward and took me to the fair. He also told me that he would walk in the dark with me as well, and I would have to lead the way.  

My advice for people who have fears is to work at those fears, no matter how big of a deal they are to them, as long as this process is done in a safe and sound manner. Some fears can hold people back from accomplishing their dreams, and that can be very traumatizing for an individual. If people face their fears, the fear will be demolished in a short period of time and one can live a fulfilling life. Just like how I overcame my fear, today my life is full of happiness. Remember that a fear is something that makes us feel uncomfortable. I looked at the painting at the exhibit for a few minutes. Suddenly, I laughed out loud because I was no longer afraid.