{"id":233,"date":"2010-02-19T04:25:41","date_gmt":"2010-02-19T04:25:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.brianmashburn.net\/?p=233"},"modified":"2010-02-23T15:25:03","modified_gmt":"2010-02-23T15:25:03","slug":"the-fear-of-eowyn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brianmashburn.net\/?p=233","title":{"rendered":"The Fear of Eowyn"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eowyn: \u201cI fear neither death or pain.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Aragorn: \u201cWhat do you fear, my lady?\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Eowyn: \u201cA cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them. And all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

These words of Eowyn<\/a> stir my soul. I, too, share her fear. Only my fear goes farther. I fear I\u2019m already in a cage. I fear I\u2019ve used them long enough that I\u2019m beyond accepting them\u2026I want them. I protect them. I fight for them. I fear that my chance for valor has already come and gone.<\/p>\n

Not all the time. And certainly not intellectually. I \u201cknow\u201d that my moment hasn\u2019t past. Further, I know that my opportunity for valor is a daily choice, that it comes and goes constantly, and that in each and every moment lies my chance to be love or be less. To be courageous or be common. Manly or mediocre. I know this.<\/p>\n

But sometimes. Like when I watch an epic like Lord of the Rings, see the life and death war going on so clearly, witness people clearly choose sides, and then watch different characters on the side of good argue and choose whether to be brave or cautious. Something in me, something deep, rushes to the surface. When I see Eowyn, even (maybe especially) when navigating unbelievable circumstances, any one of which would suffice in giving her an excuse to check out and merely survive (the unfair death of her cousin, the banishment of her brother, the loss of her uncle\u2019s mind, the suffering of her people, her own injuries and limitations), without hesitation and with fire speak what it is she does and does not fear. Those times\u2026when my soul is stirred\u2026my secret fears rush to the surface.<\/p>\n

And when they rush to the surface, and I choose dedication instead of denial, I admit that I fear that my fears are the opposite of Eowyns.<\/p>\n

I fear that I fear death or pain (and pain more than death).<\/p>\n

I fear that I do not fear a cage.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n