The Lessons We Can Learn from Fear and Courage by Sage Kanofsky

Fear and courage can sound like giant topics. Fear includes anxiety, stress, and phobias. Courage involves moral, mental, and physical components. Fear and courage go hand in hand. Courage is what you choose to do with fear. However, I see an important difference as well: fear is unavoidable, but you can choose to show courage. And, although courage seems like a need-to-have quality, fear is needed just as much. Fear and courage work together to help you find opportunities and protect you from danger.

Fear has held me back many times, with both good and bad outcomes. I remember roller coasters that I was too scared to go on. I now regret not going because once I gained the courage to ride, I found out that I love roller coasters. Fear has also led to relief. For example, when I am on top of a mountain after a hike, I am too scared to jump off. Thanks to that fear, I felt relieved that I had stayed safe and had not injured myself.

It can take courage to explain how you feel. While preparing for my bat mitzvah, I had to make many decisions. I had a surgery halfway through my tutoring month, which meant I would miss some of the sessions. I had to build up the courage to tell my tutors that I didn’t think I would be able to finish my entire haftarah. I was upset because I had higher expectations, but I had to accept and understand that I didn’t want the added fear and stress of cramming in an extra 2 lines.

This quote by Eleanor Roosevelt really sums it up for me. She writes, “you gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.”

Sage Kanofsky is 13 years old and an 8^th grader at Charlotte Preparatory School. She enjoys playing volleyball, her guitar, and with friends any chance she gets. One of her favorite things about being Jewish is the amazing foods, the challah on Shabbat or the hamantashen on Purim. She also loves celebrating the holidays in fun ways with family and friends.