The whole secret of existence is to have no fear.

– The Buddha

On the surface this quote seems so cool – have no fear.  Here’s the thing though, fear is a good thing, and we need it.  If we didn’t have fear, we’d find ourselves in all sorts of predicaments which could prove quite dangerous. So fear has a purpose.  I don’t think the secret to our whole existence is to have no fear – because without fear, we may cease to exist.  What I THINK this quote is saying is that we can’t live our lives IN fear.  If fear becomes such a part of our lives that we don’t do anything, then we could cease to exist. Think about Dr. Jenner, he was the pioneer of the smallpox vaccine.  He noticed that dairy maids, who’d been infected with what was called cowpox, were virtually immune to smallpox.  You have to wonder though, what was going through his mind when he thought “Oh, if I take some of the goo from this girl’s icky red lesion and inject it in me, maybe I won’t get smallpox!”  Seriously he looked past his fear and because he did so, countless lives have been saved.  So while having some fear is a good thing, we can’t allow it to control our lives, either.  It’s all about balance, and the trick is to find your own.