As I was growing up, I had many fears. They were alien and always kept me from moving forward with my life. Eventually, overtime, and with the help of cult heroes like Richard B. Riddick, I outgrew my fears. I think Riddick could help you too.
Who is Riddick?
He is a Furyan, protagonist, and anti-hero of the film and game series, “Chronicles of Riddick“. Equipped with a deadly form of Kali for self-defense, Riddick cares only about his own survival, yet still manages to do good – usually indirectly (for those he has encounters with). Though he is motivated by selfish needs, he is the last of his kind and has an iron-will attached to a strong and courageous heart, which makes him likable. As hard as he tries to detach from people, this lone wolf can never stay alone for too long.
Why do I think he is great?
Ever since I heard his low, steely voice in his first film, Pitch Black, I’ve been fascinated by his:
- independence
- determination
- silent confidence
- stealth
- adaptability
- endurance and
- most importantly, his fearlessness
These are all traits I relate to, and I seek to develop them in myself to the best of my abilities. As a Leo born in the Year of the Tiger (a double fire sign), I feel the need to embody fearlessness and courage.
Of course, Riddick is not without his faults, yet I feel his character has a lot to teach in terms of facing one’s fears. Riddick doesn’t just face fears, though, he admires, acknowledges and then embraces them as a challenge.
Stare fear square in the face.
One scene I love (from Pitch Black) is where Riddick comes across an alien and faces it square in the face. It’s a literal representation of facing up to a common type of fear – in this case, an alien creäture that lurks in the dark.
Figure1. http://www.sciflicks.com/pitch_black/images/pitch_black_16.html
Earlier I said my past fears were like aliens. I felt that they were predatory and constantly watched me from a distance. I have often felt them sniffing too close to home; that place where my shadow and heel meet. (I believe ignored issues always have a tendency to return when you least expect it or when they are least appreciated.)
Finally, I woke up to my fears’ presence and I made it my goal to meet them, by tackling them head on. By doing this, I was finally able to move forward without worrying about them lurking in the dark behind me.
Embrace the fear.
The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself, not darkness. My character example, Riddick, utilizes darkness to his advantage; it’s the one thing most people seem to fear. In his words, “Darkness is where I shine.” In a world where good and bad are relative truths, I believe it’s important to respect both light and dark for what they are. For in darkness, light can sometimes be your enemy, and not your friend.
What can we learn from Riddick?
Riddick had a lasting impression on me, although I did not know it then. His influence taught me how to stay cool, calm, and collected in the face of fear. Now, at this point in my life, the following quote bears much more weight for me, than it did in the past,
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Only when you face your fears can you truly understand what Roosevelt was talking about.
As a last word to you all, go out, and start facing your fears as I have done through Riddick’s inspiration, because fear is no man’s friend.
I would be very interested to hear if you have confronted your fears and what helped you overcome them? Please leave your comments below.
February 6, 2010 at 9:44 am
Great post. I also love Riddick, the concept of one man, if not the only man in the nearby universe, that can destroy the destroyers. Goes to show that those things that we try and erradicate from the face of our Earth – including the horrible genocides of time – may have actually been destroying some of our only saviours.
You can take it further and consider endangered species. For example, in the local paper the other day in Australia it has been discovered that a sea snail may hold the key to future generations of pain relief …what if they were to go the same way as green tree frogs and honey bees?
We must believe that there are saviours in minority groups of humans and all living beings – not excluding the plant and animal kingdoms.
March 21, 2010 at 4:24 am
George, you have a bracket in the link above that leads to an invalid url.
March 21, 2010 at 4:45 am
Hey too cool. I just checked out some of your Vimeo vids. Especially like the cool MJ moves
March 21, 2010 at 8:43 am
Hi Somone, thanks for the response! I completely agree with you on the minority issue. You've actually summed up one of my goals, which is to bring out the stories/myths/folktales of smaller nations into the world of animation/games, perfectly! If you haven't checked out my portfolio site ( http://siosism.com ) yet, you'll find that the last two years of animation work have been based on my "Tales from Nanumea" series. If you'd like to know more, just ask away! Thanks again Somone. Look forward to hearing more from you and Timberwolf!
June 11, 2010 at 12:11 pm
Everybody wants to be fearless. Maybe only up to some extent that you can still manage to be a good person. But, it's still impossible cause each one of us has weaknesses too.
June 14, 2010 at 10:12 pm
hi Nikky,
Thanks for your reply! I agree that everyone has weaknesses but, in my opinion, that has nothing to do with being fearless. Fearlessness is also courage and, in many cases of courage, involves pushing forward despite one's own inhibitions or shortcomings. Fearlessness takes practice and is not easy – if it were, everyone would be doing it. It is certainly silly when it involves being reckless and/or irresponsible but, with discipline, I believe this fearlessness to be that much greater.
So, I thank you for your input because I feel that the part about self-discipline, and responsibility, is certainly key to being fearless. Would you like to see that included in the article?
January 4, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Fear itself can trap you in a situation. It can paralyze you to do something for yourself, for your own good. Fear can create huge problem if you won’t be able to handle it right.
January 10, 2011 at 8:06 am
Hi James, fear is certainly paralyzing. It prevents you from thinking clearly and you, instead, may do something you either don't want to do or can't control. It's the fight, flight or freeze scenario. If you don't mind me asking, what's your biggest fear?
June 9, 2011 at 5:46 am
I actually accept my fear, but I have one of those personalities that I'll let fear grab ahold for 5 seconds, before I fight against it. With every scary movie that I've ever seen, I've always been terrified of whatever supernatural being is causing the destruction, but I know that if I was faced with that situation, I would definitely be confronting it head on.
June 9, 2011 at 11:25 pm
That's great Kawasaki! It reminds me of a quote from Nelson Mandela, "I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." I think that certainly rings true in your case, and I feel very much the same! Fear is present for a reason, but I think it is that acceptance or acknowledgement of fear that conquers it and, thus, shows great Self-discipline.
Thanks for sharing!
January 2, 2012 at 3:04 am
fear is there for a reason, no need to master over it, creator packaged it in human being for a reason, it has aot of purpose, if there was no fear mechanism in humans, im sure we would kill our selves or hurt our selves, imagine a child with no sense of fear, people normaly would say, when were born their is no fear it is developed as we get older, this is wrong too, go try to scare a new born baby and see if for your selves. I truly belive that everything is there for a reason, people are trying to master it is wrong in the first place, if one does i take that as an insult to the creator. $$$$$$ this makes people to come up with all sorts of things.
January 9, 2012 at 7:38 am
Thanks for your comment bulentok1. Fear is certainly there for a reason, but why NOT to master it? If there was no need to master anything, why have ambition, desire, or passion? Those, too, are there for a reason, are they not? If there was no need to master anything, why take up an education, why learn, why do anything?
In a way, fear is much like love – it can either debilitate you or empower you. Parents use a bit of fear to discipline their children, and religion also adopts similar practices – for if we are all God's children, then a little bit of fear inserts discipline (nothing wrong with that). But what makes the previous statement out-of-whack is when fear is used to abuse, control or manipulate (not by God, but by those who proclaim to be speaking for God). There must be balance in all things. Our Creator is certainly all-knowing, but even if He sometimes cannot predict the free-willed choices of His children.
A lot of lessons come in trying to master a thing, for if there is no struggle or adversity, what use is experience? Have wise men of the past not said, "Experience is the greatest teacher?"
Also, if one does not learn to master fear, then they show absolutely no Self-discipline – and that's my point. I'm not saying mastering of fear equals the absence of it – I'm trying to say that the will to master fear must include the courage to overcome it. If your child was being tortured or raped by a stranger, what would you do? Would you let fear of your own life being harmed in the same manner take hold of you, or let your courage to do what is right, and/or protect those you love, take over? Your mastery of fear will determine which path you decide to take in such a situation, and this is what I mean when I say "master your fears," because each of our fears are different.
Just remember, there is no right or wrong in this – merely opinions based on my own experiences.