2019/2020 Issue 2

THE BURMAN

CHRONICLE

ISSUE 02 VOLUME 67

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29.10.19

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Table of Contents 02 Editor’s Note Jasmine Pickett

Fear: 03 Leah Burns 05 De’Meah Iris 07 Natalie McDonald 09 Takudzwa Nengomasha 11 Anonymous 13 Kenneth Appiah Kubi

Poetry: 15 Anonymous 17 Anonymous 19 Bryna Figursky 20 Noreen Moise 21 Hannah Amankwah 22 Noella Kabera 24 Miora Razafiarivony

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“Fear is temporary. Regret is forever.”

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EDITOR’S NOTE

I’m afraid of a lot of things.

I’m afraid that I’ll never be enough for the people in my life.

I’m afraid of being too selfish.

I’m afraid that I won’t graduate on time, or that I’ll fail one of my classes and have to take it over again.

I’m afraid of being too much, or of being too loud, or not making a big difference in the world. Fear is one of those things that I turn back to a lot. I like to think that if I’m afraid of something and don’t do it, it won’t hurt me. I’m safer if I let the fear control me.

It’s taken a long time for me to learn that fear is not always protecting me from the dangerous things life has to offer. Sometimes my fear is keeping me from living my life.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve let my fear get the better of me. It’s made me pull away from my family and my friends. It’s made me doubt my worth.

It’s even made me doubt the existence of God. That’s how powerful fear can be, but I have some good news for you. Fear isn’t the only powerful emotion out there. I’ve found that love is a much stronger one. I’m lucky to have stumbled upon a great deal of it.

My fears still exist.

I’m still afraid that I might fall on that ice patch I have to walk over everyday.

I’m still afraid that I’ve made too many mistakes for God to want me anymore.

I’m terrified of any bug that’s even close to sounding or looking like a bee.

Maybe I haven’t overcome all my fears. I’m not fearless, and I get a lot of new fears everyday. But, like the quote says: “Becoming fearless isn't the point.

That’s impossible. It’s learning how to control your fear and how to be free from it.”

- Jasmine Pickett

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The Breakwater

Who can say what draws us to the water. Some say it’s pure fluid joy, others, the churning swells full of power. For some, it’s simply the peace that accompanies storms, the sensation of light ocean mist caressing their faces, the seemingly endless blue that makes it hard to distinguish bet ween ocean and sky. The feeling of freedom as you finally catch your first wave, as if you’ve become a part of the ocean itself, you ride the wave and let it take you towards the inevitable end. Every soul who has found themselves entrapped by the spells of the sea, knows escape is futile. Not because of iron bars or chains, but rather, the desire to dwell forever in the shades of blue and turquoise, a liquid form of Stockholm syndrome if you will.

Experienced surfers don’t waste their time on anything that’s less than a perfect wave. You see, you don’t have to surf every wave the ocean propels your way. All you must do is have the courage to go out beyond the breakwater, glide through the flawed giants and then onto the perfect wave.

Our reaction to fear often mirrors that of a first time surfer, fearful of the power that the waves hold within them, much like the power of a difficult situation or problem in our lives. We tend to get stuck in the breakwater, being struck again and again by the relentless swells of problems and heartbreak life throws our way.

Instead of getting back on the board and pushing onward to our destiny, we simply sit back and take hit after hit, afraid of what would happen if we took a chance and just went for our dreams.

Often times when people look back on their lives the only things they regret are the chances they choose not to take, the dreams they pushed to the backs of their minds because it was too risky, because they were too fearful of the potential fallout of jumping into the unknown territory of chasing a dream. Now I’m not an expert on the topic but I can tell you that after catching my first wave, there was nothing to stop me from heading out past the breakwater and into the bigger surf, onto the chance of catching a bigger wave, taking a bigger risk. No matter how terrified I was of going beyond my comfort zone in the small surf, after getting a taste of riding that first wave, I couldn’t help myself and kept going for bigger, better waves. After all, with greater risk comes greater reward, and even though the bigger the wave the harder the fall, some chances we have in life are worth the risk of taking the fall, especially since we know who will be there to catch us before we hit the bottom.

Jesus says: “My perfect love casts out fear” and who could argue with that. If there is a risk you are terrified to take, a choice that could potentially take you far beyond the bounds of your comfort zone, just remember, life is too short to look back with regret. Even if you do take the fall, Jesus will be there to pick you up, brush you off and bind up your wounds. So really, we have nothing to fear and everything to gain from living life with no regrets. Go out there and catch that wave you’ve been dreaming of, believe me when I say you won’t regret it.

-Leah Burns

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“Sometimes fear does not subside and one must choose to do it afraid.�

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“The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire, not things we fear.”

-Brian Tracy

FEAR. -De’Meah Iris Fear is natural. It is our body’s way of warning us to stay away from unpleasant circumstances, dangerous situations, or pain. It is how we protect ourselves from things that threaten our well-being or happiness. I find that over time, my definition of danger and pain has become broader. I am no longer simply afraid of physical harm or injury. I can now say my fears include: disappointment, failure, and loneliness, among others.

If I fail to reach my goals, I will disappoint myself and those who believe in me. No one likes the feeling of guilt that comes with disappointing others. It is unpleasant. We also seem to despise failure. We see it as the opposite of success, rather than a part of the journey to success. When we fail an exam, we see it as being unsuccessful, however, there are obviously other chances to do better and succeed and we always have the ability to start over and try again. There seems to be this idea that if we fail, we are no longer adequate and there is a shameful feeling of not measuring up. We fear the feeling of rejection that comes with failing – the sense of being cut off. No one wants to feel like an outsider. A lot of times we fear loneliness, as we have this natural need to feel like we belong; to feel like we have a place in society. We have a need for interaction with other humans, and we fear that being taken away from us-of being isolated. Our fears are things that we think about, they haunt us in our dreams, they impact our actions. Whether physical or psychological, they can control us if we let them.

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So, if this scary thing called fear is natural and necessary for our survival, how do we deal with it?

We cannot just get rid of it, and to be honest, it is something that protects us, so it would not be a good idea to avoid it. So, what do we do?

We live with it. We live in spite of it. We continue to take risks and live our lives knowing that it is there, because at the end of the day, fear is just a warning that something might be difficult. It is simply our bodies telling us that we will have to work hard– that there could be a chance it does not work the way we want it to. We must take the time to understand these fears. Once we have been warned of the possible outcomes, the risks, and we prepare ourselves, we must decide if the pain is worth it– and if it is, we must then remind ourselves that we are strong enough to overcome it.

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WHAT SHE IS She steals everything. Everything you want, everything you truly need, she steals. Sleep, appetite, human interactions are all essential needs as a being. She’s someone that takes that away too. She just sees it fit for herself more than you. Selfish, is what she is. She always wins and I never understand why I let her. She continues to comfort me even when she takes opportunities away from me. How is one comfortable but uncomfortable? Understanding but not understanding? Safe but dangerous? Paradoxical, is what she is. She shows me a path that seems better but is never truly what I know I am or what I even could be.

But whatever I can be has been determined by her for a long time now. She’s in control, she knows me better than I know myself. The little gleam of light of aspiration is always dimmed by her. Dream taker, is what she is. A dream was never defined by what is truly pleasant. So when I think about any dream that I possibly could attain that’s when she attacks. Attacks my self-actualization, attacks my motivation and attacks by integrity. And just because you don’t know her doesn’t mean I’m dramatic. Just because you don’t know her doesn’t mean I’m unintelligent. Just because you don’t know her doesn’t make you any better than me. Real, is what she is and “Fear” is her name, yet anxiety is her name. A split personality, one freighted of the present, and one apprehensive of what is to come. Cohesively intertwined to be who she is. Something and someone that only God can truly dethrone.

-Natalie McDonald

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“The worst decisions of your life will always be those that are made out of fear.”

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Fear is the feeling induced by perceived danger or a threat, it is a response to physical or emotional danger. Fear is caused by the threat that lies in uncertainty and the unknown, when a situation is not crystal clear to us in its outcome it can cause us fear.

“Anxiety is an emotion that can be characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, a feeling of uneasiness and worry”. Fear and anxiety have the same ideas about the threats of danger or possible harm to us, fear is a targeted response to a specific situation (fear of spiders) while anxiety is not specific to any situation and can attach itself to different situations in our lives. Anxiety has been characterized as a mental illness and it can cause physical manifestations similar to those of fear, pacing back and forth, laboured breathing and a fight-flight-or-freeze response.

Fear keeps us on our toes and keeps us ready for uncertainty, which honestly can be very exhausting. A new situation that we experience can trigger feelings of danger to ourselves and sometimes the danger may be targeted at our characters and our inner selves. I think that fear does not go away, but we learn to decipher whether the threat is going to cause imminent danger that we cannot avoid and will cause harm to us.

When I was a kid, I did not like large bodies of water because I never quite understood why I couldn’t see everything that was out there. Now with age, I realized that not knowing the where the water ended does not always mean I could be in danger. Fear causing uncertainty of a lot of things that we believe and know, fear puts our confidence away, all that we believe is in question and we do not have the answers to some of the situations we are in.

God tells us not to be afraid and for us to trust Him, and rely on Him, and trust Him. It is hard to not be afraid when the threat is looking at you and is looking bigger than anything we can handle. Even though God is right here ready to carry us through any situation, our doubt and not having the full picture can cause us to think that God doesn’t have to full picture either. Life can cause our fears to look and feel bigger and more menacing than they might be. The fact that we cannot see the extent of a threat, it begins to grow in our minds and becomes a big monster in our minds and it can break us. But, if we find a source of strength and trust, this giant monster will start losing its strength and we will be able to break it and come out strong, victorious and ready to live life on our own terms.

-Takudzwa Nengomasha

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THE

EFFECT OF FEAR

The Effect of Fear

I believe fear affects us so much because fear is the world that we create within ourselve We use it as a means to convince ourselves as to whether the world we perceive will be the world of reality if it isn’t already. Every day we find our

I believe fear affects us so much because fear is the world that we create within ourselves. We use it as a means to convince ourselves as to whether the world we perceive will be the world of reality if it isn’t already. Every day we find ourselves afraid of expecting the unexpected. I believe the way fear affects each person is different, depending on the different mindsets we have and the circumstances that led up to it. I think there are two broad categories: the growth mindset and the stunted growth mindset. The fear within the growth mindset, lets one anticipate the circumstances that might arise if we do or don’t take action. It can become a healthy boundary of pressure that pushes the individual to take charge of their own future and act according to the change they do or don’t want to see. The fear within the stunted growth mindset accepts fear to be the medium through which their worst fears and perceived world become their world of reality. In the end, it is case by case, and many different situations where fear can or cannot be categorized. I believe fear has the same overall effect on each person. It is a tool to shape our character and who we are when no one’s watching. This is because only we know what it feels like to feel the fear we feel and how we react to it. However, with that being said, I believe that we hold the power to how fear shapes us.

-Anonymous

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Fear

affects us so e fear is the world e within ourselves. a means to conves as to whether perceive will be reality if it isn’t y day we find our-

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If someone tells you that they don’t fear anything in this world, tell them they are afraid to tell you the truth. You will find their response to be maybe or yes. That is who we are as humans. Fear is often caused by danger or warning of a situation or action in time. It can be a fear of heights, exams, darkness, sickness, and so forth. In most cases, we tend to fear the circumstances that shake our comfort zones and the very thing we love to do. In situations where I find myself threatened, I begin to lose hope, trust, and focus. Fear is not a good thing; however, without it, you can’t take severe cautions and care for your life.

Fear sometimes acts or pretends to be like anxiety. In my general understanding, anxiety is a feeling of worry, uneasiness and lack of hope that may be caused by the presence of fear. Either fear or anxiety may be suitable for a particular time, depending on the situation. Fear is often treacherous, and if care is not taken, it can worsen the mental and psychological state of a person. It can affect the functioning of the brain and other metabolic activities in the human body. If it could be at all possible, we should try and eliminate the over whelming presence of fear in our lives.

Anxiety, on the other hand, can also be dangerous if care is not taken. Some people experience anxiety in so many ways, which can determine their next move in life. Others have to be anxious to do a specific task or even to get something done in a short time. In my personal thinking and actions, my brain remembers things quicker when I’m slightly anxious. In a worst-case scenario, I can forget everything I know if I become super anxious. In the Bible, we get to know that, Paul the apostle commanded the Philippians not to be anxious about anything. He does not say don’t be anxious at all. In other words, he meant to say that, in your worries, don’t be over-anxious because God can provide if you make it known to him. Some of us become too anxious just for the fact that we don’t seek help when it becomes available. Most anxiety can be controlled. You might need to be organized, time conscious, and willing to face changes in life.

In my opinion, fear cannot be conquered even if you believe to be a reckless individual. As much as we meet dangers and threats in our lives, there would always be a moment to fear. The best we can do is to know how to handle fears when they approach us. It’s either we build our faith and trust up or overcome it for a short precise moment. There will be at least an 80 percent chance of facing fear in our life. Things are uncertain and easy to discover; therefore, there will always be a time where you have to face the adversities of fear. Because of our human nature, we cannot escape fear. Scientifically, fear causes the adrenaline to rise to overcome threats and dangers to the body. God’s command to humans to not be afraid of anything is in the context of not losing hope amid danger. God certainly knows that we will be frightened in life and because of that, he reminds us not to “worry” about the moment of threat.

I can’t argue that we choose to be afraid, but instead, we live in fear, day in and day out. According to 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and love, and a sound mind.”

It means that, when God’s true spirit is in you, you can overcome the presence of fear. His spirit in us is power, love, and a sound mind with is the best mechanism to overshadow the power of fear and anxiety.

It boosts our faith and our hope that everything will end successfully.

Fear and anxiety are part of us; we live with them, and we die with them. The good news is, we can overcome them if we have a strong spirit of faith and trust in God and our given capabilities. Even though we might be afraid of something, it could be our test to break through a different way. God made us unique, precious and capable. With God, we can overcome the most prominent dangers and threats to our soul, mind and body. Says the Lord of Hosts, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” God is with you; therefore, you can surely overcome the fear and anxiety of life.

-Kenneth Appiah Kubi

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“Fear is a reaction.

Courage is a decision.”

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DEFINITION: FEAR

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What is fear to me?

Well, fear to me is physical It’s my heart beating in my chest Pulse racing And it feels like I’m out of breath Fear to me is mental It’s the constant thoughts It’s being scared Fear is me being afraid Afraid of life Afraid of death Afraid of breath Fear is anxiety Anxiety about what is to be Anxiety about the present Fear is my ruler Fear is my director Fear is one of my biggest enemies And one of the things that tries to hold me back Fear is the thing that tells me that I shouldn’t do this and that and that Fear is the thing that tries to prevent me from being great Fear is a battle It’s an intense fight It makes me want to win Even though I’m scared to try Fear is my motivator but also my pace keeper It keeps me pushing And it makes sure I don’t go overboard Fear to me is so many things Fear to me in a way is kind of what you decide it to be Well that’s fear to me

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“Our fears are more numerous than our dangers, and we suffer more in our imagination than in reality.�

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Shakespeare: Every day I wake up to a bright new day with a new smile that does not belong to me.

I pick up my school bag along with my furnished persona and move along to the next act of the day.

I smile a little more I laugh a little louder, and through it, all the real me sits in the audience watching your reaction making note of what to change Would you run if you met her? Would your smiles turn to hatred if she showed her face.

Fear, fear of the real me coming out to play and you not enjoying the show.

I’m busy I said when they asked me to go out.

I need a break, Act one down, Deep breaths Memorize my lines and getting ready to go back out.

Act two.

You looked at me weird, Is it my hair, is there something in my teeth….

Are you starting to realize that you don’t like me… that you never liked me?

Do you love me, is the smile even real, do my jokes make you laugh, are you really my friend?

Fear is my friend but anxiety is my name.

She has written my lines and pushed me on the stage.

I don’t know who I am, but I know what she has told me to say, to act, to be around you.

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Act 3 My fear is as real as the way I think you see me I see the nonexistent judgment and perceive her to be real when in reality I have nothing to fear as I am the only character in the play.

-Anonymous

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“But those who are full of fear and without faith, the unclean and takers of life, those who do the sins of the flesh, and those who make use of evil powers or who give worship to images, and all those who are false, will have their part in the sea of ever-burning fire which is the second death.” - Revelation 21:8

First comes the white, Through clouds of thunder.

With bow and crown, For men to plunder.

“The Conqueror”, he was called, As conquering he would do.

His sole goal to take away, Until the Lord to make anew.

Next there is War, With horse of fiery red.

And with his sword, All the Earth bled.

Chaos surrounded what was left, And the people believed the beast.

For anyone who took his mark, Would surely miss the Lord’s feast.

Soon after arrives Famine, Riding in on a dark mare.

And with a scale in his hand, He left the fields quite bare.

When all hope seemed lost, And as time drew near.

The trumpets sounded, There was no need to fear.

Finally, there is Death, The end to all things started.

And on his horse of pale color, One fourth this world departed.

The Son of God, “Faithful and True”.

On steed of white, The war was through.

But the fiercest of all to arrive, A beast of several heads.

Who housed in a lake of fire, For many men to dread.

-Bryna Figursky

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I Fear

-Noreen Moise I fear oxymorons and confusion I fear deathly living and lively deaths I fear truths in lies and lies full of truth I fear things that don’t make sense I fear the attraction, the connection, the emotions I fear the infatuation, the looks here, the wink there I fear the falling, the relation, the passion I fear the end, the heart, and its break I fear optimism, when you feel so high, one thought away from being down I fear pessimism, how do you get out of the tomb you dug yourself in?

I fear love, longing for someone’s care and affection I fear hate, the strife, the indifference I fear conflict, for in my head everything is a lost cause I fear getting along well. What if it is just a phase?

I fear comfort because life has a way of not letting it last always I fear discomfort for there will eventually be no place to call home I fear you: your poise, your diligence, your confidence.

I fear myself, so much to be known about myself I fear her, her way of getting her way and getting away with anything I fear him. I feel nothing but fear towards him.

I fear what it means to step out of fear into what…

Courage? Strong will? Ambition?

I am a product of fear.

I know nothing but fear.

Fear knows nothing but...

But God

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All not by my strength But God’s As much as I forget about Him He never forgets about me “Fear not, for I am with you.”

“Do not be afraid, for I am your God.” God is greater than all my fears So really, He should be the one I should fear “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

“Fear the Lord our God for our good always.”

I fear oxymoron, as I said earlier, However, there is one oxymoron, that if conquered, I will overcome all my fears And if understood, I will conquer all my battles.

The fear of the Lord is good.

Fearing God is beneficial.

Call it righteous fear, Fear that makes things right, or something like that.

I fear confusion yet, Something like happy fear or Fearing your way to freedom Weirdly seems about right.

I fear when things don’t make sense However, a God who fully made sense Wouldn’t be God Or someone to fear.

As long as you fear God more than you fear fear, your fear will never have the best of you.

“Faith and fear both demand believing in something you cannot see.

You choose.”

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Trust issues

-Hannah Amankwah The world has trust issues It’s all we’ve ever known Society shows it in the media Which makes everyone feel alone It’s harder to trust God When you feel on your own That’s when fear comes in And makes you as stubborn as a stone It’s harder to not have trust issues When it’s portrayed throughout the Bible Abraham’s Faith led to fear which ended in him lying about Sarah who he loved so dear David’s Faith led to fear When he killed Bathsheeba’s Husband so she could be his wife, which he thought was pretty clear Moses’s Faith led to fear When he struck the rock for the Israelites because he was tired of their complaining and tears Peter’s Faith led to fear When he walked on water And the storms seemed too near Sometimes we even become afraid.

We may lie in interviews because we just wanna get paid Instead of relying on God and trusting that he would make a way We lean on our own circumstances just so that we would get the last say

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When we stop focusing on God And focus on our circumstances Faith will lead to fear which will ultimately reduce our chances Of trusting in Him Which leads us to sin

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Fear

-Noella Kabera That’s all you’ve ever known.

Failure, Struggle.

Pain.

Comfort is foreign.

Optimism is a lie we tell ourselves.

Constantly climbing to the top of the mountain, but disappointed by the view.

You remain at odds with yourself.

Fighting the demons, you can’t change.

Afraid You’ll be left behind.

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Do you ever feel like you are just not good enough?

Others around you just seem so put together, so happy, so free…

Not trying to hurt you but sometimes, it’s true.

Of course, there are many masks in the world, and you could be seeing a mirage.

Thinking about that doesn’t make things better though…

Lost in your mind. You do not really have time for wise words.

Everybody has these moments. That’s what you tell yourself… But Truth is if we all did what we were capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves.

So, what is the road block?

Let me introduce you to fear.

The one who whispers…

Forget that. You will not die if you do not try. So, don’t try. The stakes are too high.

Everybody knows. It doesn’t matter if it was said behind closed doors. They know.

And first prize for the world’s greatest disappointment goes to…you guessed it. You. Repent. You messed up. You never do anything right. Say you are sorry.

Whispers, that it does. But other times it screams.

In some instances, it is the only thing you hear…. BUT you should Never let it block you from reaching your highest potential.

You is smart, you is kind, you is important.

And you are capable of amazing things

When you shift your focus from what others can do

And you start noticing what you can do

Things will start getting better…

You just have to remember: “Do Not Let Fear Win.”

-Miora Razafiarivony

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