I must say a word about fear. It is life's only true opponent.
Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary,how well I know. It has no decency, respects no law orconvention, shows no mercy. It goes for your weakest spot,which it finds with unerring ease. It begins in your mind,always. One moment you are feeling calm, self-possessed,happy. Then fear, disguised in the garb of mild-mannereddoubt, slips into your mind like a spy. Doubt meets disbeliefand disbelief tries to push it out. But disbelief is a poorlyarmed foot soldier. Doubt does away with it with little trouble.
You become anxious. Reason comes to do battle for you. Youare reassured. Reason is fully equipped with the latest weaponstechnology. But, to your amazement, despite superior tactics anda number of undeniable victories, reason is laid low. You feelyourself weakening, wavering. Your anxiety becomes dread.
Fear next turns fully to your body, which is already awarethat something terribly wrong is going on. Already your lungshave flown away like a bird and your guts have slithered awaylike a snake. Now your tongue drops dead like an opossum,while your jaw begins ............