Karie+P’s+OpEd+Article

= "What the Hell Are You Afraid Of?" **by Karie P**=

= = Fear: The one fragment of existence that has the power to stop anyone from living their life to its full potential. Close your eyes, and jump! It was not that hard, but as I stared down at the people 70 feet below; my fear choked the apathetic attitude that had inhabited the deep facets of my mind just two seconds before. Of course fear is instilled in us from a young age because fear keeps most people alert and out of trouble, but it is this evil perpetrator that also keeps one from following the path they want to follow rather than the path they “should follow”.

= = Think for a second about a time you wish you had not stayed quiet. About a time when you had one last chance to say something you held in for so long; and you didn’t. It is an annoying reality- fear is an obstacle some of us may never overcome; it is what has caused some of the biggest mistakes in people’s lives and the one thing that stands in the way of making some of the most important life changing decisions. Here is a thought: What the hell are we all afraid of? Seriously, if it wasn’t for this one obstacle in our lives then we would all save ourselves a lot of worry and just LIVE. We should all take a page out of Kris Allen’s book and “Live like we’re dying!” Live without fear of other’s and their opinions- live for ourselves, and take the risks necessary to overcome our fears.

To break free of the tight shackles of fear is to accomplish something great. It takes a lot of courage to let go of the doubts clouding one's head and just "take a leap" without knowing what may occur in the end. It is a rather disturbing fact about humans; that the one aspect keeping us from truly living is our own mind second guessing itself. Regret is the consequence of giving in to our fears, no one wishes to look back on life and say "I wish i had said/ done what i wanted to do". People need to step back and realize whether or not they are living the life they would like to live, they need to think about what is standing in their way and overcome this fear before it is too late.

I should have jumped- I didn’t and here I am wishing i had.media type="file" key="kariep-muckraker-0910.mp3" = = = =