Nature functions because it is certain despite its uncertainty. I’ve seen proof.
Like most people of my time and place, I’ve had to live with a fair amount of uncertainty. In school, I agonized. Would she ever love me back? Was dad going to keep his job? Would I be able to afford the elite private college in the Chicago suburbs?
I wonder if I would have been happier at the time if I knew that the answer to all these questions was “no.” Not sure. But I do know that I probably would have made better decisions.
Uncertainty is in the family of fear. Fear is just about the most powerful motivator we experience in life and it often steers us wrong. Fear makes us angry, controlling, needy, reactionary, prejudiced and stubborn. We might work harder and learn deeper lessons because of fear, but only after we’ve barfed up all the negative effects first.
Lately, I’ve been experiencing a lot of fear. It starts with myself, wondering what will happen to the college I’m leaving behind and the newspaper where I’m now working full time. Members of my family are affected by everything going on in the world, and I worry for them. In my travels, I routinely talk to people afraid of what might happen next.
Perhaps it goes without saying, but this is neither helpful nor necessary. Whatever the intent of federal policy right now, we see clearly that it’s not producing good decisions anywhere. In fact, it goes beyond policy. The cultural resentments growing in our communities threaten relationships and core civic functions everywhere.
What we need is courage. The courage to speak up, yes, but also to carry on and do good, regardless of the noise. Courage is not the opposite of fear; it is the cure.
And I learned it all from a duck.
Read more in today’s column, “Mama Mallard has no fear,” which appears in the Tuesday, April 29, 2025 edition of the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Aaron J. Brown is a columnist and member of the editorial board for the Minnesota Star Tribune. His new book about Hibbing Mayor Victor Power and his momentous fight against the world’s largest corporation will be out soon.
