What if the fear you carry... isn't even yours to begin with?
This is something that to an extent affects every single one of us – fear. Not just any fear, but the kind that gets passed down like an unwanted inheritance, the kind that spreads through communities like wildfire.
The Seeds of Fear vs. Confidence
You know, I've been observing kids lately – the confident ones. And there's something quite fascinating about them. Beyond just sharing their parents' values, these kids are blooming in gardens watered by words of life and encouragement spoken daily in their homes.
But flip that coin, and you'll see how negative words can plant seeds of fear that grow into forests of doubt. One of my favourite movies is the Pursuit for Happiness and a scene that sticks with me is Will Smith's conversation with his son while they were playing basketball together.
This is part of the reason why a rule in my house would be we are not allowed to insult our kids playfully or in anger the kids would not even be allowed to insult themselves
The Economics of Fear
Fear is more than just an emotion – it's a force powerful enough to reshape economies and rewrite the story of entire regions.
When fear takes hold of a region, it creates a devastating domino effect. Think about what happned in Northern Nigeria – businesses relocate or shut down, investors pull out, and property values plummet. Young talents flee, taking their skills and potential elsewhere. The brain drain is real, and it's expensive.
But it goes deeper than that. When fear becomes the dominant emotion in a market:
Farmers become afraid to visit their farms, which causes food scarcity
Traders become too scared to transport goods leading to inflation
Parents keep their kids from school creating generational gaps in proper education
Entrepreneurs choose "safer" regions and leave communities without essential services.
Look at what happened to tourism in places like Egypt after periods of unrest, or how real estate values crashed in areas labelled as "unsafe." A single headline about insecurity can erase billions in market value overnight.
The Biology of Fear
Here's a personal experience;
A few weeks ago, I was having breakfast in Rwanda with a Nigerian who lives in Europe. The conversation was flowing until I mentioned my road trips to Abuja and Kano, and how much I enjoy driving across the northern states. The dread that washed over her face was immediate. She practically begged me to never do it again, painting pictures of kidnapping and death.
Of course, I still took a road trip in the north a few days ago, and I was thinking if I leaned into her fear, I would have robbed myself of the experience I had with my friend driving across different states.
You see, when we experience fear, our bodies go into overdrive. That dread she felt? That's a cocktail of adrenaline and cortisol flooding her system. Our brains are wired to amplify threats – it's an ancient survival mechanism. But here's the thing: sometimes this system backfires, especially when the threats are more perceived than real.
The Ripple Effect
This is why terrorism is so devastatingly effective. Think about it – millions living in fear because a small fraction of people chose darkness. I remember when I was moving to the north, the warnings came flooding in. "Leave there oh" "Don't fall sick there oh". Funny enough, now I'm getting similar warnings from folks who think I should flee the country altogether.
The Personal Prison
But let's bring this closer to home. How many of us are living smaller lives because of fear?
Maybe you're clinging to that "pensionable" job instead of launching your dream business.
Perhaps you're postponing love, convinced you need millions before even thinking about getting married.
Or you're hiding your God-given talents because your skills haven't caught up with your taste. (This one was exactly my issue for a while)
Breaking Free
So how do we combat this? I remember watching a movie years ago that said something profound—bravery isn't the absence of fear – it's doing what needs to be done despite being afraid. Wait was that not Nelson Mandela?
But look, I'm human too. I know this isn't as simple as flipping a switch. So to get started in the war against fear, we need to:
1. Feed ourselves with courage-building information
2. Root ourselves in scripture – remember, God didn't give us a spirit of fear
3. Face our fears head-on, one small step at a time
You know what helps me? My name – Osamudiamen. It means "God stands by me." When you know who stands with you, you realize you can't fall.
Closing Thoughts
So here's my challenge to you, identify one fear that isn't yours to carry. It could be an inherited fear, a communal fear, or something society planted in your mind. Name it. Face it. And start taking small steps to prove it wrong.
Remember, the opposite of fear isn't always courage – sometimes it's faith. Faith in yourself, faith in God, and faith in the journey ahead.
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."
- Nelson Mandela
This was originally a script for a video I worked on, but I figured I could share it with you guys also.
You can watch the video essay on Instagram -
