“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but those that stand with it now, deserve the love and thanks of every man and woman.” – Thomas Paine

These are, indeed, trying times. The events that unfolded recently in Boston, and too many others like it, soberly remind us that our world is sometimes a very unsettled and volatile place. Too many of us go through the motions of living while carrying wounds that won’t heal. Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.

Terror is a weapon that robs its victims of their security. It is the highest form of bullying that seeks to break the will and identity of those unable to defend themselves. Nothing good ever comes from instilling fear in the hearts of the innocent. Terrorism is the most repugnant act that can be perpetrated on your fellow man. It is the devolution of humankind.

There is much in the world to make us afraid. Yet there is so much more, however, in our faith to make us unafraid. Courage is a trait so desperately needed in the face of such calamity. We do not develop courage by being happy in our relationships every day. We develop it through surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. Courage is that quality that charts our course over the next horizon. It makes us brave enough to dare believe that tomorrow still holds promise. It has to power to embolden the downtrodden and temper champions. We do not have to accept fear. Courage awakens the warrior within us.

What makes a one a warrior? A warrior has strength, courage and intelligence. A warrior is a protector and provider. A warrior adds to those attributes a purpose, a plan, armor and determination to succeed. A warrior views life as a battle worth fighting for. Recognizing a formidable enemy, a warrior confidently develops a plan to be victorious.

Knowing fear can be their undoing, a warrior musters the courage to face it even without the promise of victory. When the battle intensifies, they don’t shrink back. They understand that the harder they fight the more valuable the reward becomes. A warrior doesn’t give up. They are defiantly resilient. Surrender is not a warrior word.

Warriors are action-oriented souls, and therefore down-to-earth, single-minded and very willful. Such souls tend to see life in terms of confrontations and rising to the challenge. There are causes to serve, struggles to be overcome, battles to be won. They like to be on the front line with their trusted comrades, and strongly value both courage and loyalty.

The basic drive of any warrior is to uphold something “right” and defeat something “wrong,” however those two are defined. A baby warrior, for example, might fight against law-breaking in the local community. A young warrior might fight for his or her country against foreign threats. A mature warrior might fight against social injustices such as hunger or homelessness.

Warriors are invariably attracted to some sort of challenge. The challenge could be anything – the forces of nature, an invading army, undesirable elements in the community, social injustice, racial prejudice, or even illness. Fulfillment, for the warrior, comes in the form of victory over a challenge.

We take the first step in awakening the warrior within us by removing the yoke of oppression bestowed upon us by those who use terror against us. Fear can only ruin your life if you will allow it to. In our lives, we can try to bypass our fears by staying away from them as much as possible, but to truly conquer each fear we must step up to it and take it on. We can only defeat something if we are willing to compete against it, and with a strong heart, a determined attitude, and an unbreakable will, there is nothing in this world we can’t defeat if we give it our all.

So make that someday today. Don’t fear for your life. Instead, rejoice that you still have life to overcome what you always feared, and to reach the dreams and the goals that you were too scared to pursue.

Grab life by the horns in every second of every day, and always remember that change is necessary in every facet of your life. Take back and celebrate all this is good in this world. Be the warrior you were destined to be.

Daniel Parenteau is a freelance writer who resides in Biddeford. His column appears every other week. Find his blog at danielparenteau.com.