I will not hesitate to say that I am afraid of many things. I am afraid of beautifully tragic things such as dying alone and I am afraid of completely laughable things such as clowns. I am afraid of closed-in spaces where I feel I can't breathe and there are no windows or openings and I am afraid that I will never be able to be what everyone expects of me.
Does this make me any less of a Shadow? No.
I am able to recognize these fears and understand why I am so afraid. Yet as a Shadow I am required to go one step further, confront these fears as if their were nothing to me. Because as a Shadow I must have the ability to react to a situation in a moment's notice without such a thing as fear or doubt to paralyze my action.
This also ties in to certain mental blocks such as a personal bias or morality. A Shadow may hold any type of moral code or bias they wish, just like they may hold any type of fear, but they cannot allow those mental blocks to be the deciding factor. This makes the Shadow inflexible, close-minded, and a follower of fixed knowledge.
How can a Shadow not let their fear or morality consume them?
A Shadow understands that in order to achieve the best case scenario of the moment they must relieve themselves of any pre-disposition they may hold. I know that a Shadow is taught to rely on instinct, and what is instinct built on? Past experience, where personal morals are created. This is why we must evaluate our instincts to see if what we feel is how we should react. We can be wrong. To err is human.
Is there enough time in the moment to evaluate ourselves?
In all actuality, no. There are certain moments where we have very little time to react, if we have time at all. This is where we must really on our training of being mindful and reacting with an uncarved block state of self. In this state we use instinct and perception to guide us. The longer we train ourselves and hone our skills in mindfulness and awareness the more we will be able to trust that our instinct is the best way of moving forward. That is the ultimate goal, is it not? Complete faith in one's abilities, which is passionately needed if there is risk or sacrifice involved.
One thing I must add that is quite important to this whole thought is that a Shadow does not lack compassion or love. If when the time comes that someone we care for is in need and yet we are placing ourselves in harm's way by aiding them we have the choice of personal sacrifice and risk. Though it may disrupt the balance and harmony of ourselves we may find that it is simply worth the risk and gather hope that our sacrifice will turn out positive in our world. I know for a fact that I would feel good and worthwhile if someone I cared for needed my help and I could provide the necessary assistance. We all hold the power of choice.
A Shadow must be fearless. They must not be afraid of change in themselves or the outside world. Trust in one's instinct and abilities, do not doubt yourself and your personal feelings, embrace them. The Shadow is in control of their own path, nothing or no one should inhibit that.