How to Become Fearless (Lessons from a 91-Year-Old Wise Woman)

It was early Tuesday afternoon when I felt an itch in my throat, a tell-tale sign that I was getting a cold. Unfortunately, that same day, I noticed that my 8-month-old son had started coughing along with me, letting me know he had caught it too.

Upon realizing this, I got seriously worried—not for me or him, but for my nearly 91-year-old grandmother, who for the past few days had been holding, hugging, and kissing him as much as she could.

Deeply concerned for her health, I cautioned her about getting too close to my boy.

But without flinching, and with a face as calm and cool as a quiet winter morning,
she said, “I am not afraid of germs.”

Then, joyfully, she continued to hold and love her coughing great-grandson.

Now, in a time when one of society's biggest fears is germs, and at an age when most people are typically the most cautious with them, I found my grandmother's fearless response both admirable and inspiring.

Knowing my Nana, I had a hunch at what made her so fearless, but still decided to ask her outright.

When she responded to my query, she did so again with that same calm and cool tone, anchored in 91 years of wisdom:

“Well, I’ve just come to realize that the Universe has an intelligent plan, and if I go, I go. If I don’t, I don’t, and in the end, there’s no real use worrying about it.”

Interestingly enough, that same perspective my grandmother used to stand in the face of what so many fear was the very same tactic that Mahatma Gandhi used as he marched fearlessly in front of the British Empire.
It’s the same principle Joan of Arc leaned on as she courageously ran into battle.
And it’s the very same practice we can apply when facing our fears.

What is the practice?

Faith in something greater.

You see, when we turn our attention away from our little frail and limited selves, and instead, lean on that universal force that grows the plants, gives birth to stars, and made the entire cosmos—
When we take shelter in a force so great, what is there to fear?

Nothing.

Really. There’s nothing.

And with that fearless spirit, like Gandhi, Joan of Arc, and my Grandmother, we can lovingly turn to the sacred tasks before us, to the best of our abilities, without worries or concerns.

Now, I find this lesson especially valuable in the chaotic times we collectively face, where so many of us wrestle with fears for our future, for our world, and for ourselves.

However, in times as challenging as these, let us learn from the wisdom of my 91-year-old grandmother and take shelter in something so much bigger.

Because when we do that, we become fearless.

With love and fearlessness,