YODA, WISE IS

Yoda says to Anakin Skywalker in Episode III:

"Train yourself to let go of everything you're afraid to lose."

Unable to ignore his prophetic nightmares about losing Padme, Anakin is overtaken with fear, which causes him to act irrationally, eventually leading to his ultimately tragic destiny: unknowingly fulfulling the fate he feared most - losing his beloved in addition to losing himself in the process.

We all have the potential to be consumed by the same threat that turned Anakin Skywalker (the Jedi) into Darth Vader (a master of the dark side). When we have been fortunate enough to be blessed with something or someone so special, it's very easy to feel afraid, threatened that we'll lose them. From grateful beneficiaries, we can transform into quite the jealous and greedy misers of human love and need.

A miser of love, what a conflict of interest! Love is everything BUT miserly. Many think that genuine love merely envelops us in a passionate rapture, warming us from the cold cruelty of life, and protecting us from all harm. It's so easy to ignore that it also asks for a freedom from the often suffocating embrace of jealousy and distrust.

Keeping powerful bonds of love tight, without the threat of suffocation, can become difficult to accomplish when we've gotten so used to the security it provides. But through the simple concept of time, and our acknowledgement of its impact on our lives, we soon realize, without a reasonable doubt, that giving each other the freedom that true love offers only makes those bonds stronger. Only when we willingly give each other the freedom to face trials and triumphs alone, giving only concern, hopes and prayers from the heart, do we see the power that love's freedom can exude.

Like Yoda says, we have to learn to let go of everything, and everyone we're afraid to lose. Only when we are able to do this can we realize what it truly means to be fearless.