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We all have our own private fears, but Freedom from fear begins with the courage to admit to fear - and then work to overcome it.
We all have our own private fears, but Freedom from fear begins with the courage to admit to fear – and then work to overcome it.
We’ve devoted the month of August to freedom through the FreedomIs # campaign. To read more about the campaign, and see all the selfies contributed, click here. (And send yours too, so we can include it!)
It felt amazing to learn about the varied perspectives on freedom, by women all across India. It was interesting to know that freedom means different things to different people. Indeed, Freedom is such an important word that without it, we can never be completely happy. Countries have waged wars for freedom because it’s such an invaluable feeling and it’s one of the most important fundamental rights too. After all, would anyone be truly happy confined ?
It was difficult to write on any one aspect of freedom because it has different forms and all are equally significant to me. I ultimately decided to write about Freedom from fear because fear is the common stumbling block that we deal with on a daily basis.
We are all born free and gradually as the years pass by, our lives get entwined with fears and insecurities every step of the way. Leading a fear-filled life can be overwhelming and can have life changing effects. It is the situations and circumstances in our lives that create it and in turn, it has an effect on our psyche and our behaviour as well. Every individual has fears and insecurities and sometimes we begin to feel threatened by situations that cause fear.
Some common fears that women go through are the fear of venturing out alone, especially at late hours of the night, fear of losing a loved one, fear of not being able to help a loved in need, fear of becoming a victim to a deadly disease, fear of not keeping in good health, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of loneliness, fearing the safety of her family and kids, fear of terrorism, fear of violence and fear of survival.
These are common concerns that most of us have and it takes courage to admit it. In our right minds, we tend to not give into them, but these thoughts are always lurking somewhere in our minds. Sometimes, these feelings may overtake our lives, making us crippled and paralyzed. When we free ourselves from the chains of fear, it is only then that we would win the battle of freedom from fear. Some are successful in doing so and some are not. The successful ones move on to lead a happier, authentic and a more meaningful life. They are also successful in realizing and achieving their dreams.
It would truly be a heavenly feeling when we get rid of our fears. But is that really possible ? I think it is. It’s not completely possible to eliminate situations in our lives that we feel threatened by, but it’s up to us to get rid of our own fears and phobias by dealing with them in a positive way. Most often the fear ceases to take hold of our lives, when we confront it head on.
We can fight fear by making ourselves mentally strong , by gaining knowledge and education on subjects that are the cause of our fear, by learning from others, by seeking help from counsellors and therapists, by gaining emotional support from our own kin, friends and teachers, by becoming more spiritual and at peace with ourselves. The final decision to change, rests on our own shoulders. So, let’s hope that we all attain freedom from our inner demons and not get consumed by it. I’d like to conclude with these beautiful quotes on freedom from fear.
Diana has worked as an Editor/Writer and Content Manager for various digital platforms and hopes that each word written in this space supports, motivates and inspires her readers in India or across seas. Besides read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, indivisual posts do not necessarily represent the platofrom's views and opinions at all times.
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My house-help asked excitedly, “I am going for wedding. Can you let me wear your red & black saree? To be honest I was stumped for a moment; I didn’t know what to say but I still said yes.
I lent a gorgeous saree to my house-help for a wedding in her family. Soon I stated getting questions if I would wear that saree again or if I was okay to be seen wearing the same saree my house-help was wearing?
We are all so conditioned to give our used clothes to our house-helps but are we okay to wear the clothes they were wearing?
A few days ago she came excitedly to me, “I am going for a family wedding. I want to wear your red & black saree, Ill wash and give it to you after the function. Please can you let me wear it?”
Sivaranjiniyum Innum Sila Pengalum (SISP) is an ode to all of the lost women, who could have been sports stars, singers, bankers, lawyers, doctors, just... happy, if they hadn't been enslaved in matrimony, and then forgotten all about.
One of the cool things about my mother was that she was an ace athlete and a champion sculler as a young woman in the 1950s and 60s. I only found out about this side of her a few years ago. I imagine her in a paavaadai dhaavani, taking on the mighty Kaveri river so many decades ago.
I recently watched a Tamil film anthology on SonyLiv that she would have liked to watch – Sivaranjiniyum Innum Sila Pengalum, (SISP) that has 3 stories of 3 different women – Saraswathi, Devaki, and Shivaranjini.
Like all the heroines in the anthology, my mother’s talents were sacrificed at the altar of matrimony. She pawned her gold medals and silver cups one by one to pay for expensive textbooks for us or a gift for a niece on her wedding, money for which she didn’t dare ask my father, because it was her niece… I remember how she caressed the cups and how her face hardened as she shoved them into her bag to take to the jewellers.
What does Freedom mean to you? Here is a list of ten things that define freedom for the average Indian woman.
The #FreedomIs campaign asked readers to share their idea of what freedom is, and what freedoms they wanted, through a selfie with a message. The results were varied and beautiful.
You can see the collection of #FreedomIs selfies here.
To me, #FreedomIs
Freedom means different things to us at different points in our life. Here is a peek into the essence of freedom.
The #FreedomIs campaign asked readers to share their idea of what freedom is, and what freedoms they wanted, through a selfie with a message. The results were varied and beautiful. You can see the collection of #FreedomIs selfies here. Don’t forget to send in your own!
A girl in a rural pocket of Rajasthan might value her freedom to enjoy outings to the vegetable market down the street. For a boy in a far eastern corner of Bihar, going to school would be a freedom cherished, instead of slogging in a coal factory to support his family. A lower middle class saleswoman in Dadar, Maharashtra, might relish her freedom of taking a break and enjoyingpani puris and bhel puris with her friend sitting by the Queen’s necklace, Bandra, over a mid-day snack.