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| December 2009 |
| Billie Silvey |
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| Fearing Fear |
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| The day after Thanksgiving I finally got a chance to watch one of the movies on my “Planning To” list—you know, those movies you’ve heard are good or that you suspect are good, but that you haven’t really heard that much about. So they stay in the back of your mind as unfinished business, something to check out if the opportunity presents itself. Well, the day after Thanksgiving, it presented itself, and I got a long-delayed opportunity to watch Akeelah and the Bee, a 2006 movie about a South Los Angeles student who can spell. It is also the story of her mother, played by Angela Bassett, and her spelling coach, brought to troubled life by Laurence Fishburne. At first, I was intrigued by the realistic portrayal of the title character by Keke Palmer. Her wisecracking, defensive Akeelah reminded me of so many students I’ve worked with over the years. The Fishburne character, Dr. Larabee, refuses to put up with her attitude. He has her read a quote from Marianne Williamson that is hanging on his wall: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” “Does that mean anything to you?” Dr. Larabee asks. “I don't know,” Akeelah responds. “It's written in plain English,” Dr. Larabee snaps, “What does it mean?” “That I'm not supposed to be afraid?” “Afraid of what?” “Afraid of . . . me?” I had already written most of an article about Franklin Roosevelt’s inaugural speech on Fearing Fear. At the time of Roosevelt's inauguration, the Great Depression was at its depth. A consummate speaker, Roosevelt reminded the American people that the nation’s difficulties concerned “only material things.” “First of all,” he said, “let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. ” Freedom from fear was one of the Four Freedoms Roosevelt felt were our birthright—freedom of speech and religion and freedom from want and fear. Fear is at least as big a threat to our spiritual lives as Roosevelt thought it was to the survival of the nation. Fear attacks our faith that God cares for us, provides our needs, keeps his promises and gives us strength. Faith is a stronger ally than US military might seemed to Churchill. It defeats the worst our adversary, Satan, can throw at us. Fear really can paralyze us. It has me numerous times. It makes us ineffective. But faith is the victory that overcomes—not just economic hard times and military foes, but sin, death, the world , and our own insecurities. As Akeelah came to realize and to make a part of her life, “We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” In the process, Akeelah brought her neighborhood together, giving it something to feel proud of, giving it hope, and thus helping overcome the fear that was defeating it. |