The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

The Fear of Beauty

The+Fear+of+Beauty

Every conscious moment of my life, I am haunted by my greatest fear. It has neither teeth, nor claws, nor spikes, nor venom, nor any other deadly creation of nature. On the contrary, what I fear cannot kill me, as it is incapable of inflicting physical damage of any sort, a fact which only frightens me further.

My greatest fear is that of the unknown, of all that can never be ascertained with pure certainty, of the inability to comprehend all that I cannot know. I fear myself, for I know not who I may become, or if the me I know now is simply a creation of my own imagination, a wall of fiction meant to protect me against an unbearable reality. I fear the dishonesty of my own mind, all the lies that I may tell myself without being aware of any deception. I fear not knowing the truth and I fear that one day I shall see the truth; that the ignorance and fabrications which have thus far protected me from a cruel and honest reality will suddenly crumble away, leaving me defenseless with no choice but to confront the truth.

For most of my life, this fear has crippled me, but I have found solace in the knowledge that I am not alone. I share this fear with every member of my species; this phobia is a curse of the human mind, and it is not specific to myself. It is this same fear which has fostered the insecurities of every individual that has ever breathed the bittersweet air that fills this earth. Yet despite the presence of this fear in all our minds, humanity has prevailed. Do not be mistaken, this fear cannot be fully conquered, for insecurity will forever exist in every member of mankind. The only escape from this fear is the acceptance of reality, an understanding that there are some things in this world beyond our control. Once we accept the truth about ourselves, void of any deception, we must no longer fear the dark thoughts present within our own minds.

In my trials with this fear I have learned to accept myself for who I really am, I have learned to openly express myself without fear of not knowing what others may think. This fear has taught me that I am my own greatest enemy and my closest ally, that I have the choice to hinder my own potential by trying to avoid my real self that I can accomplish anything if I allow my true nature to thrive. I cannot control who I am, no one can. I cannot control the thoughts that tell me I am somehow inferior, that creep into my mind during the worst and best of times and serve only to deplete the invaluable confidence necessary to succeed in this world. What I can control, however, is how I choose to confront this fear. I know what I can change and accept what I cannot, and with this knowledge the very fear that has held me back so much in my life has also compelled me to be the best man I am capable of being. The voices will never leave me, nor anyone, but we have the power to overcome them if we learn to love ourselves for who we truly are.

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Each and every one of us is unique and beautiful, for beauty is not predefined, it can be found anywhere, in all shapes and sizes. Beauty is what we make of it as individuals, and perfection of that individuality is the truest form of beauty. Know yourself, accept yourself, love yourself, be yourself, and then, over the chorus of deceptive insecurities that infest your frightened mind, you will hear the voice of truth, and it will tell you that you are and have always been undeniably beautiful.

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