Overcoming Fear: Understanding Our Own Worst Enemies

Our own fears, arising from desires and thoughts, make us our worst enemies, as explained through a dialogue.

### Overcoming Self-Imposed Barriers: A Dialogue Inspired by Nietzsche
* 👤 Nietzsche posited that we are our own worst enemies, a sentiment echoed in the dialogue exploring the idea that **our fears often hold us back**.
* 😨 Fear is the primary obstacle we face, stemming from our thoughts, which in turn arise from our **desires**.
* 💡 Desires naturally shift based on our understanding of the world, and they **dissipate through genuine comprehension**.
* 🌱 The student's initial understanding led to **desires, thoughts, and fears**, but the acrobat's guidance helped him **alter his perspective**.
* 🔄 By changing his understanding, the student's **desires, thoughts, and fears transformed**, allowing him to **overcome his obstacles**.
* 🛤 "If your desire goes away, the thought goes away, and if the thought goes away, so does the **fear**."
* 🦉 Understanding the mechanisms behind self-imposed barriers sheds light on **why we often hinder our own progress**.
* 🔚 Ultimately, the student was able to **let go of his fears and take action** once his understanding shifted.

In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Friedrich Nietzsche said, “you yourself will always be the worst enemy you can encounter; you yourself lie in wait for yourself in caves and forests.” In my opinion, Nietzsche shared an important insight with us: we really are our own worst enemies. So I’m gonna explore this idea through a dialogue.

At the end of his show, after everyone else had gone home, in the middle of a circus tent, under a sky lit by the moon and the stars, an accomplished acrobat (A) was approached by a young student (S). The young student, looking distraught, introduced himself to the acrobat before opening up. The following conversation ensued. S: I want to be an acrobat and walk the tightrope, but I’m afraid. I’m afraid about making a living, and I’m afraid about what the people close to me will think. I know they’ll judge me.

They won’t respect me. They’ll make me feel small and foolish for joining the circus, but I feel the wire calling to me. What do I do? 

A: You will always be your own worst enemy. 

S: How? Don’t you see? I wanna be a great acrobat like you, but society doesn’t value artists. How will I make a living? And on top of that, my family and friends will judge me for doing what they don’t consider to be real work. I feel like everyone is holding me back. 

A: No one’s holding you back. What’s holding you back is your own fear. You fear society not valuing you, and you fear the disapproval of your loved ones. Am I right? 

S: I guess you’re right, but what can I do? They’re the ones causing my fears. 

A: They’re not the ones causing your fears. Your fears arise from your thoughts. You think that if you become an acrobat, no one will pay.

And if no one pays you, you fear ending up
on the streets. Is that right? S: Right. A: You think if you become an acrobat, your
family and friends won’t respect you. So you fear being disrespected. Is that correct? S: That’s correct. And I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but
I do. A: There’s no value in judging how you feel. Your feelings are always valid. But let’s keep looking deeper into it. So your fears arise from your thoughts. Do you agree? S: I agree. A: So where do your thoughts arise from? S: I’m not sure. A: They arise from your desires. S: What do you mean? A: Well you’re thinking right now. You just used thought to ask me a question. And what was the source of that thought? It was your desire to get clarification, wasn’t
it? S: Yeah, I guess that’s right.

A: So you agree, thought arises from desire. Let’s look into your desires. You want society to value artists more because you believe that will help you get paid. Is that right? 
S: Right. 
A: And you want everyone to respect you for your career. Is that right? 
S: Right. 
A: OK, now I need you to listen carefully. So your desire leads to thought, and your thought leads to fear. So if your desire goes away, the thought goes away, and if the thought goes away, so does the fear. And when the fear drops away, you get out of your own way. You stop being an enemy to yourself. Do you understand? 
S: I get it now. But how do I drop desire? 
A: See that’s the trap: you can’t drop desire. Wanting to drop desire is itself a desire. Fighting fire with fire only produces more fire. But desires fall away on their own through understanding.

So let’s look at your own understanding
of the world. S: OK. A: So you believe that society doesn’t value
artists, and if society doesn’t value artists, that means you’ll never make any money. Is that right? S: That’s right. A: Well let’s examine that. If you sell water in a desert, does it matter
what people think of you? S: I guess not. A: So why does it matter if society values
artists or not? People value anything they perceive as an
absolute necessity. If something is a necessity for you, you better
believe it will be a necessity for someone else too. And if the things you create are a necessity
to someone, they will pay you for it. S: That makes sense. A: Now, you also believe that if you have
everyone’s respect, you’ll be happy. Is that right? S: Right. A: People respect you when you live according
to their values.

But if you live according to someone else’s
values, you’ll never respect yourself. You’ll become resentful, and you’ll regret
not living out your dreams. But if you live according to your own values,
not everyone is going to respect you. The truth is it’s impossible to have everyone’s
respect while also respecting yourself. But if you live according to your own values,
you at least have the chance of attracting people into your life who respect you for
who you are. S: You’re completely right. Thank you for talking me through this. I feel different. A: Are you still afraid? S: I have no reason to be. If I create something of absolute necessity,
people will pay me no matter what my career is. And you’re right, if I don’t do this,
I will become resentful, and I’ll always wonder “what-if”. I’d rather follow my own values and attract
the right people into my life rather than

trying to earn the respect of people I don’t
agree with. A: Now that your fears are gone, what’s
stopping you from acting? S: Nothing. --- Nietzsche said that we are our worst own enemies,
and I explored the meaning behind this idea through a dialogue. More often than not, what stands in our way
is our own fear. Our fear arises from our thoughts, our thoughts
arise from our desires, our desires rise and fall based on our understanding of the world,
and our understanding changes through contact with reality. The student approached the acrobat with a
certain understanding of the world. This understanding gave way to his desires,
which gave way to his thoughts, which gave way to his fears. But once the acrobat showed him the reality
of things, the student's understanding changed. And the change in his understanding led to
a change in his desires, which led to a change in his thoughts, which caused his fears to
vanish.

If you understand all of this, you understand
why we are our own worst enemies. But at the end of the day, this is just my
opinion and understanding of Nietzsche’s words, not advice. Feel free to use this information however
you like, and if you have a different take on Nietzsche’s words, I’d love to hear your perspective in the comments.

Nietzsche - You Are Your Own Worst Enemy

Freedom in Thought

Overcoming Fear and Self-Doubt: A Dialogue from the Circus

Nietzsche's insight about being our own worst enemy is explored in a conversation between an acrobat and a young student.

The student is paralyzed by fear of societal judgment and disapproval from loved ones about pursuing a career as an acrobat.

The acrobat emphasizes that the real enemy holding the student back is his own fear and self-doubt, not the opinions of others.

Understanding the Relationship Between Desire, Thought, and Fear

Desire leads to thought, thought leads to fear, and understanding this relationship can help overcome internal struggles.

Trying to force the elimination of desire is futile, as it naturally fades away through understanding.

The individual's fear of being disrespected and undervalued stems from their desire for societal validation as an artist.

Society's perception of artists' value does not determine their ability to make a living.

Living according to one's own values is essential for self-respect, even if it means not gaining everyone's approval.

Creating something that is a necessity to others is key to financial success and personal fulfillment, attracting the right people into one's life.

Overcoming Internal Obstacles: A Nietzschean Perspective

Our own fears often hold us back from taking action, stemming from our thoughts and desires.

A change in our understanding of the world can lead to a shift in our fears, ultimately overcoming them.

The dialogue explores how we are our own worst enemies, as our internal processes shape our obstacles.