2006 — 7th Grade 4th Place

Macy Royston, Minnesota

Fear, a thing of sadness, guilt, loneliness, fright, or even hope. Hope, a thing of joy, happiness, creativity, will, or even fear. Both, so different, and yet so close. Two ideas, both meaningless without the other. Only seen externally, and rarely internally. So many people only can see the positive things in hope, and the negative things in fear.

Fear paralyzes you. When you are afraid of something, whether it is mental or physical, you are simply paralyzed. It is hard to do anything normally. You might not be able to do something physical like stay home alone, or sleep without the lights. Or you could be emotionally scarred for life from a death or injury to a loved one. A little over five years ago, my big sister, along with her son and husband, were all shot and killed. The feeling alone that I get when I think about what happened, really does paralyze me. The fear has kept me from doing simple tasks, such as being alone or in a dark place, because it reflects the image in my mind of what happened. Suddenly I am not alone, but someone is there with me, unseen. But I believe that the worst thing that is so commonly overseen, is that fear has no power at all. You yourself have all of the power, and control the fear. You might be afraid of the dark, but there is nothing unusual or not normal about it. It is everything you see in the daytime, only without the light. Fear is nothing but a misguided lead to guilt, sadness, and even sometimes boredom.

Hope, on the other hand, is usually thought of only as a want. I believe that hope is your heart's true desires, not your mind's. You may wish for fame, fortune, or material possessions, but what your heart truly needs is something completely different. While wishing for something material, your heart may long for care, love, or just to have a family to care and love. I have learned, that my hope will always overpower my fear, because I will always love my sister more than I love anything, and love is the strongest hope of all. Hope is not wishing, it is knowing. Knowing that no matter what happens, everything will always turn out okay if your heart believes it will. Hope is not looking through your mind's eyes, but your heart's eyes instead.

Hope is more powerful than fear. Because your heart's needs, wants, and desires are always greater than your minds. I am the one with the power, and I just have to decide how I am going to use it.

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