Face The Brutes: I love Vivekananda’s quotes – they fill you with such power and motivation. His words are like fire and this article is a dedication to facing our fears, insecurities and literally everything that holds us back. You may argue that some of these are very difficult to face. I don’t deny that, but these rationalisations don’t help you. The only thing that can make a difference is winning over these fears and conquering what’s rightfully yours.
You may remember some of the fiery words from Vivekananda’s Chicago speech. These are words of passion and power. It is not a spiritual message but a practical one to awaken the dormant side which keeps pulling us back. In fact, everything is about these small decisions isn’t it – to move out of our comfort zone and focus on our priorities. Ultimately, it is up to you and me to change what we need to. It is our life, no one else is going to solve our problems!
Face the brutes story, Vivekananda
Most of us are aware of the story of how once a troop of monkeys surrounded Swami Vivekananda making him unable to move. He managed to run and to his disbelief, even the monkeys ran after him. He fastened the speed and so did the monkeys.
He couldn’t find a way to escape and continued running. An old monk called out to him and said, “Face the brutes!” And what happened later is a well-known part of the story. Swami Vivekananda stopped running, turned back and faced the monkeys for which the monkeys fled away. And hence proving that the best way to get out of fear was to face the fear itself. Its only beyond this fear that we see our growth, results and create new opportunities.
Face the brutes, face your fears and face them boldly
What if he had not turned to face the monkeys, let’s say he would run for kilometres and find those monkeys not behind him anymore. What would he feel? He would have thanked God for saving him, maybe discover a new way to get rid of monkeys for the next time or maybe even decide not to take the route again in his life.
But what he felt after facing the monkeys has added much more to his attitude than what he would have got if he had escaped. The sense of self-belief, the feeling of handling fear, a changed insight on how to handle problems better and much more. What he earned by facing the monkeys was much more than what he would have earned by escaping. The decision to face fear set the perfect end result for him. It sure is a very small incident, but not to forget the same small incident brought a major impact on his life.
Related: Quotes from Vivekananda
Making a habit of moving away from comfort zone
We are offered similar kinds of incidents in life where we let the moments of fear conquer us. At first, it slowly comforts you and eventually, it consumes you.
It’s absolutely ok to be afraid of something, it’s ok to let that emotion comfort you, but make sure not to get carried away by the same emotions. Decide to face it and that’s where you bring in the difference for your life. Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it is the way you handle the fear.
It’s never easy to face your fears all at once. It takes time, it takes practice and not to miss, yes! it takes more fears, but once you face it you realise why it’s worth facing it. And every time you face it you realise how much more strength you have within.
Face the brutes, face your fears – success isn’t just a bed of roses, it is about you pushing against your limitations to win.
References:
Vivekananda: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami_Vivekananda
Vivekananda quotes: https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/80592.Swami_Vivekananda
Image source: https://www.azquotes.com/author/15121-Swami_Vivekananda
Discover more from Inspire99
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Pingback: There would be nothing to frighten you if you refused to be afraid - Inspire99
Pingback: All power is within you, Swami Vivekananda - Inspire99
Pingback: You have to grow from the inside out, None can teach you - Vivekananda - Inspire99
Pingback: Where Your Fear is, There is your Task - Carl Jung - Inspire99
Pingback: 23 Swami Vivekananda Quotes for inspiration and introspection - Inspire99
Pingback: 10 Stunning Winston Churchill Quotes for your strength - Inspire99
Thanks a lot.. very useful..
Completely agree. At one point of times all have to face fears, there is no escaping. So why not now. Face it
Thank you Ratna.. Indeed :). I agree that we all are afraid and there are so many possibilities but probably nothing trumps the human spirit to fight and find solutions amidst all odds :)
but more often than not we either deny thier existance or run away from them
Thank you Arora for bringing up such a good point. Yes, we often try to deny the existence of fear. We know it affects us, but we are not dare enough to accept that. The irony is its beauty. Maybe, facing fear is the only option to get over fear. :)
That’s a great way to explain the crux of this fear factor…we shouldn’t afraid of our fear. That’s the most important lesson Swamiji taught…
Thank you Maniparna :) Swami Vivekananda’s stories have inspired people from many generations and will inspire for many more generations. It’s fascinating to hear his stories.
The fear of fear kills you eventually. It’s when you reach the crux of the fear the fear of fear vanishes. complicated but worth the complication :)