One of the ways you can identify someone who has read “>Dune is you will catch them muttering “I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer”. For those who haven’t read the books that is the start of the Litany against fear. The litany is a reoccurring mental technique used by the Bene Gesserit and those trained by them, most notable the book’s protagonist Paul, to avoid freezing or making bad choices under the influence of fear.
The full litany is:
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
In my experience the people who start quoting it don’t continue far enough. While the second line is truth it is not nearly the truth the third is.
One of the biggest obstacles everyone seeking to live life on their own terms faces is fear. In fact, I’ll go on record as saying it is the biggest. I have failed to do many (most?) of the things I aspire to do for two reason: procrastination and fear. Most success books and personal coaches seem to be all over procrastination but many don’t address fear. I have to wonder if they’re afraid of it themselves.


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