Bravado is not what you’re after.
Neither is mentation – to prove or disprove a point of view.
All that is fear.
Giving up is not it either,
That can also be fear – in a more subtle disguise,
A subtle rejection, an avoidance,
A false middle-ground of pacified neutrality.
Hopelessness can feel like the place to be,
Like hiding out in the basement – defeated by fear,
In many ways, it’s a step up from bravado,
Which shouts out from the rooftops,
In its delusional readiness to conquer the world.
Fearlessness is not out to prove anything.
Fearlessness is not a confrontation,
Making sure that that person knows, that I know what they’re doing.
It’s not a pretense or an out-maneuvering.
You might be surprised to find grief there,
An unsuspected neighbor,
Beckoning at your door or whispering from the window.
Fearlessness is not activated or charged by something.
Even if it’s, the right thing to do.
It’s not willful.
Nor is it on hight alert.
Fearlessness is kind.
A primary kind of kindness.
Directed towards yourself, first and foremost.
A kindness that redacts the burden of trying to be kind.
Leaving you sound, equanimous, sane.