Fear is the mind killer...
A science fiction mantra, a parenting expert, and a surprising lesson about why we lose our way with our kids.
I’m a nerd
I’ve always been a nerd and loved nerdy things. Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, you name it. I don’t just like nerdy stuff for the epic action and impossible magic and tech, I love it because I’ve often found that the simplest and deepest truths of life are best explored in the realms of the impossible.
When I eventually embraced the ultimate nerd right of passage and read Dune (long before Timothée Chalamet made it cool) the litany against fear immediately intrigued me. The protagonists of Dune, in moments of fear, often repeat the litany in order to not act rashly out of their own fear and return to a regulated state.
The litany begins:
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
