Fear Nothing; Question Everything

“Question everything. Learn something. Answer nothing” (Euripides, https://www.socratic-method.com/quote-meanings-interpretations/euripides-question-everything-learn-something-answer-nothing-2)  While Euripides was a brilliant Greek writer of tragedy, I suggest he missed one valuable attribute in this axiom: what’s missing is, ‘fear nothing.’

2024 was a turbulent year for me.  In January of that year, I had a heart attack - at the gym.  I worked out every day, ate healthily, managed my stress, didn’t smoke, didn’t drink alcohol or caffeinated beverages, and still a heart attack came to me through my DNA.  Thanks, Dad’s DNA!  Then, in July, I was diagnosed with low stage breast cancer.  Thanks, Mom’s DNA!  Today, I feel strong again and I’m left with a new attitude: nothing scares me!

Speaking from personal experience, not living fearfully is extraordinarily freeing.  Of course, if a zombie is catching up to me, my heart will race and my breathing quicken because of impending danger, but, I will only be momentarily feel fear.  After having had a heart attack and breast cancer within only 6 months in one year, I won’t spend my days being afraid. Holding on to fear and allowing it to take over your life is similar to constant worry;  why worry about anything because you likely cannot control the situations that trigger worry in you. What fears or worries do you have that you could put aside because they are out of your control?

Question everything.  Starting in the teen years for many people, we start to question everything to discover what is truth for us.  Some people delay the hard-core questioning until later in their lives, perhaps after a parent has passed away or a tragedy visits them.  In my deep southern upbringing that was sifted through the indoctrination from a traditional conservative religious filter, I was taught not to question - not teachers, not adults, not parents, not God or the religious book or the church people, not the government, not even my own identify. So, after I moved away from Louisiana and for several decades lived in other areas of the country, I was able to see that much in my life needed to be questioned to curate what I know to be true for me. I encourage everyone to take the questioning journey; you may come out knowing that what you already believed to be true for you is just that, or you may discover aspects that aren’t true for you and need reframing. The point is, when you undertake questioning, you will uncover the what and why of what you know is true for you. Here are a few areas to question in our lives:

• Question the ‘ought tos’ and the ‘shoulds’ placed on us by others and the ones placed by us on others.

• Question your lifestyle.  Does it feel good to be in your own body?  Why or why not?  Are you living in a rural area, but feel more at home in a city setting?  Do you enjoy the single life, but, your family is always pushing you to get married / partner up?  Question why you like being single and why family pushes you to relationships.  Question everything about your lifestyle.

• Question the messages you got from your childhood: familial, cultural, educational / in schooling, religion / church, gender-based, historical.  Question everything you’ve been exposed to, taught, indoctrinated into / convinced to believe.  Some of it may resonate with you and some of it just doesn’t fit.

• Question religious beliefs. Discover for yourself what you believe rather than simply taking on the religious beliefs of your family and friends.  Know what you believe; know why.

• Question beliefs about career, life’s work.  Discover what work - home - family - friends - hobbies balance you want.  Question the work - other parts of life relationship your family of origin had.

• Question political beliefs.  Form your own beliefs; question the ones chosen by your family, friends, church, and culture.

• Question relationship beliefs. Traditional relationship roles do not have to be repeated in your life.  Question what you believe about relationships, what kind of relationships you want to foster, and what old beliefs about relationships don’t agree with you.

• Question your relationship with money and things. Too much stuff?  Too many bills / debts?  Discover the relationship you currently have with money and things, then, ask yourself if you’re okay with it as it is or if you want to make changes.

If you, as advised by Euripides, question everything, you will learn something about yourself, about who you truly are, what is truth for you, and about wisdom outside your original frame of reference.  In other words, when you question, you grow.  And, when you fear nothing, you develop self-confident boldness.  What do you need to question in your life? What would be the consequences of fearing nothing and questioning everything in your life? Please share your stories, thoughts, insights, and suggestions by either commenting below this post if you are reading this on social media, or, if you are reading this through your email subscription, please share, by emailing me, at reimaginelife22@gmail.com.

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