How to overcome fear?

Spirited Away and Red Bean Paste Buns.

10 years old Chihiro and her parents are on their way to their new home, and Chihiro is sullen because she doesn't want to move. They stumble upon a park that seems to have been abandoned for years. Despite Chihiro finding the setting creepy, her parents decide to explore the place. They go through a tunnel and find an empty town. Chihiro wanders through the town alone, and when she goes looking for her parents after it gets dark, she finds that her parents have turned into giant pigs and that this town is the place where the gods and spirits live. Chihiro is trapped alone in the world of the spirits, and she needs to work in the town's bathhouse to have a chance to save herself and her parents. After going through many difficulties, she eventually not only rescues herself and her parents but also helps Haku to get his name back and gain his freedom.

Sometimes we all concern about future.

Real dangers make people fear, but at the same time, people also fear abstract things, for example, fear of science, fear of isolation, fear of abandonment, fear of the future. In the movie Spirited away, a large part of Chihiro's fear is made of the fear of an uncertain future. When Chihiro sees that her parents have been turned into giant pigs, and when she learns that she may likewise be turned into a pig and then face the fate of being cooked, she is afraid. Not only was she afraid of the fact of losing her parents and that she was alone in this strange world, but she was also afraid that she was incapable of saving her parents and herself. Chihiro's situation reminded me of when I first came to Canada in 8th grade. I was just like her, the first time been away from my parents, afraid of everything. I remember there was one time I needed to go to the bank to sign paperwork of some kind, and I was holding my phone and struggled all night about whether I should call to make an appointment or not. Even after I made the appointment, I spent the whole day before I went worrying about whether my trip to the bank the next day would go well.

Feel the fear and do it anyway.

Bravery is more of a will than a rational act. When brave people choose to do something, it's not just because their sanity is telling them that it's the right thing to do, but especially because they have the ability to say "yes" even when they feel fear and hesitation. I think to a large extent, the friendship between Haku, Lin, and Chihiro helped Chihiro build her will. Haku was the first person to help Chihiro, he gave her the pill that stopped her from becoming transparent, and he helped Chihiro to get in the bathhouse. Lin works with Chihiro at the bathhouse and takes care of her like an elder sister. When no face threatened Chihiro, she stood up and spoke for Chihiro. After a hard day, she stole red bean-paste buns from the festivities outside and gave them to Chihiro. Warm bread is a symbol of strength and home. The scene of her and Chihiro sitting on the balcony after lights out, looking at the sea, and eating red bean buns left a deep impression on me, and it has great healing power.

Haku and Lin taught Chihiro how to be independent, taught Chihiro the principles of life, and most importantly, friendship makes Chihiro realize that sometimes you just must take the initiative to face difficulties. At the end of the movie, when Haku was injured, in order to save him, Chihiro resolutely decided to go to Zeniba even though she knew that there might be no return and that she overcomes her fear. Overcoming fear doesn’t mean not being afraid, as Vladimir Jankélévitch says, the absence of fear can bring blindness or a loss of judgment. The key to overcoming fear is to be afraid and do it anyway.

Father: A new home and a new school? It is a bit scary. Chihiro: I think I can handle it.

Click the link below to find out about the expressive activity of this session:

Expressive activity-- Make steamed bun with sweet adzuki beans paste~