The theme of my column today comes from a bit of philosophical introspection. I’ve always had an interest in philosophy, and over time it’s become a habit to reflect on life through that lens. So I decided to explore something that shapes all of us, yet we rarely question its roots fear. The Bihar elections have just wrapped up, and in Maharashtra the local body election process has already begun. Every political party, no matter how confident it appears, lives with the fear of losing. But fear isn’t limited to politics; it comes in countless forms. In school, some children dread English, others tremble at the sight of math. Some people fear getting hurt, others fear what lies ahead. Some fear losing the people they love, while others fear the possibility of losing what they’ve only just gained.
If you take a moment to think about it, you’ll realize that our earliest lessons in fear begin at home. “Don’t go near the water,” “Stay away from the fire,” “Don’t climb that tree,” “You’ll hurt yourself if you wrestle,” “Be careful while playing cricket, the ball might hit you.” From morning to night, we hear variations of: don’t do this, don’t do that. And that is where our understanding of fear quietly begins to take shape.
Parents give so many instructions that an unknown fear quietly creeps into the child, so it’s safe to say that fear begins at home. The fear sown in our childhood persists from our youth until our death. We pass this fear on to the next generation. This cycle continues. Our social life is shrouded in fear. It’s not just the fear of losing, but also the fear of victory, lest it be snatched away. The situation is such that everyone scares each other. Even husbands and wives don’t refrain from scaring each other. In foreign countries, I see parents fearlessly throwing a two-year-old into a swimming pool to teach them how to swim. Does this happen here? It doesn’t, because we ourselves are afraid.
Because of the lessons of fearlessness learned in childhood, those children abroad roam the forests and mountains alone. Adventures happen. Whether it’s the passion to conquer Mount Everest or diving into the ocean, children who learned the lesson of fearlessness in childhood always come out ahead. In our country too, sages, saints, and saints used to meditate in dense forests and mountain caves because they were fearless, but today that fearlessness is fading. If we want to make our country strong, we must become fearless and disciplined. When I remember my childhood, I remember the scene of 1960-62 when Police Inspector Jang Bahadur Singh would go out in Yavatmal wearing half pants, a tilted cap, and carrying a stick in his hand, and silence would fall, as if a lion had come out of the jungle. Where is that discipline visible today? Just imagine, I still remember his name. Now people call him SP. Even their names are not remembered because they lack such intimidation. Administrative intimidation exists only when fear is ingrained in it.
Earlier, when teachers came to class, fear spread. That fear was rooted in reverence, because back then, teachers treated all children as their own. If a child was weak in a subject, the teacher would call them home and teach them. Coaching was nonexistent then. Teachers’ conduct was sanctified, and now, children even smoke cigarettes in front of them. Back then, there was no fear of doctors robbing them in the name of treatment; the medicines they prescribed were final. Doctors were part of the family. There was no such sentiment before: “Son, don’t go to church! If you go to church, you’ll become a Christian! Son, don’t go to the mosque! If you go to the mosque, you’ll become a Muslim! Don’t go to the temple! If you go to the temple, you’ll become a Hindu.” Unfortunately, such fears are being cultivated today. When such fear is instilled, hatred begins to grow.
All this seems very scary. I see that religion has been conflated with fear. Be it exams or elections, we make vows for everything. The fear of fear is such that we fear not only defeat but also victory, fearing that it might be taken away from us. Just think: Dhyan Chand didn’t have shoes, P.T. Usha didn’t have resources, but they performed wonders because they overcame the fear of lack of resources with their fearless spirit. Tall bowlers tried to intimidate the short Sachin Tendulkar, but Sachin smashed them all to pieces. Our soldiers sacrifice their lives for the country because they have no fear. Military training makes them fearless. The first training for fearlessness should come at home. I find the spirit of Saina Nehwal’s mother, Usha Rani, inspiring, how she instilled fearlessness in Saina. And just consider Gandhiji’s non-violent fearlessness, which frightened the British Empire, whose reign never saw the sun set. Therefore, I would like to advise every parent not to instill fear in their children. Make them fearless. I always say, and I also follow this principle, that if you want to achieve your goal, then remove the fear from within you. Conquer fear, conquer all.
