In my 20’s, I read Frank Herbert’s Dune trilogy and remember its hero Paul Atreides saying, “Fear is the mind killer.” I agree. I’ve seen how fear stops us by killing our wills and our minds. When stuck in fear, we can no longer think, we simply respond.
On the other hand, fear can make us strong and even courageous. Because of this, I don’t advocate making sure that young girls around us never have to deal with fear. Instead, let’s teach them to not allow fear to stifle them or kill their minds. For fear breeds courage and courage can propel them to excellence, to move fearlessly through their lives.
Yet how does a young girl learn to move through the fear and not get stuck in it? I believe it depends on the significant adults in her life. What these adults say and do in the earliest years affect her forever.
