{"id":8674,"date":"2025-09-09T11:52:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T08:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reschool.gr\/?p=8674"},"modified":"2025-09-10T19:49:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T16:49:07","slug":"fears-are-like-snakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reschool.gr\/en\/fears-are-like-snakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Fears Are Like Snakes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Aliki Vougiouklaki once said: \u201cKeep the snakes in your yard so you can control them.\u201d She was talking about her enemies. But when I hear it, I think of my own enemies: my fears.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because fears are like snakes<\/strong>. If you ignore them, they slither in the dark and scare you when you least expect it. But if you keep them in front of you, \u201cin your yard,\u201d you see them, you recognize them\u2026 and then you can control them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfad Fear as a Mask<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve come to realize that fear is never the truth. It\u2019s a mask. A disguise for a desire so strong that it dares to appear only when hidden. Fear tells you: \u201cYou won\u2019t make it.\u201d And yet, if you think about it, that fear exists only because you want so badly to succeed. Fear whispers: \u201cYou\u2019ll get lost if you take that road.\u201d But behind that mask lies your deep need for safety. Even when you say: \u201cWhat if my child fails?\u201d, what hides underneath is your thirst to see them grow, succeed, and find their place in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

So here\u2019s what I\u2019ve understood: whatever I want deeply, almost desperately, automatically becomes fear. Fear is the shadow of desire.<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf31 The Trick to Reveal the Truth<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

There is a trick, though. Every time a fear shows up, you can pull off its mask. I do it often: first I say out loud, \u201cMy fear tells me\u2026\u201d and I describe it. Then I pause, take a deep breath, and ask: \u201cWhat desire hides behind this? What is it that I want so much?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So if I say: \u201cMy fear tells me I\u2019ll get lost, I won\u2019t know where to go, I won\u2019t manage,\u201d and then I look deeper, I uncover the truth: \u201cI long for safety. I long to know that no matter what happens, I can handle it.<\/b>\u201d It\u2019s exactly as Emerson once said: \u201cDo the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain.\u201d The moment you look fear in the eye, the mask falls.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2728 Safety Means\u2026<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

How many times have we confused safety with absolute control? And yet, the truth is much sweeter. Safety doesn\u2019t mean I know every single step. Safety means I know deep down that no matter what happens, I can handle it. That is my daily struggle. And every time I remember it, I feel free. Just like George Addair wrote: \u201cEverything you\u2019ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.\u201d Yes, because fear is always the threshold to your greatest desire.<\/span><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf15 In Closing\u2026<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In the end, fears are snakes. If you keep them in the light, they don\u2019t grow into monsters in the dark. If you take off their mask, you see behind them your longing, your strength. And then you can whisper: \u201cI see you. I recognize you. And now I take my power back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And in that moment, maybe you\u2019ll feel what Aristotle once said: \u201cHe who has overcome his fears will truly be free.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Why is it worth teaching this to children?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

This story is not only for adults. For children, fear often feels unexplainable, like a monster in the dark. But when you show them- through a story, a mask, or a picture- that \u201cfear hides something important,\u201d then you are teaching them:<\/span><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc9b To look with courage.<\/span><\/p>\n

\ud83e\udde1 To listen to their heart behind the fear.<\/span><\/p>\n

\ud83e\ude75 And to understand that being \u201ctruly free\u201d is not the absence of fear, but the meeting of fear with kindness.<\/span>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

\ud83d\udca1 If you want to see how I talk about fear and desire through a story for both children and adults, you can read “You Have a Visitor<\/b>” here:<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>