I'll tell you a secret about fear: it's an absolutist. With fear, it's all or nothing. Either, like any bullying tyrant, it rules your life with stupid blinding omnipotence, or else you overthrow it, and its power vanishes in a puff of smoke. And another secret: the revolution against fear, the engendering of that tawdry despot's fall, has more or less nothing to do with 'courage'. It is driven by something much more straightforward: the simple need to get on with your life.
Fear is portrayed as an absolutist force, dominating life with an overwhelming presence, controlling individuals like a tyrant. The struggle against fear is not about being courageous; rather, it stems from a fundamental desire to live fully and freely. It suggests that overcoming fear leads to its sudden disappearance, revealing its true powerlessness.
In essence, the fight against fear involves a pragmatic approach to life, focusing on the necessity of moving forward despite its influence. Salman Rushdie emphasizes that this battle is not glamorous but a basic human instinct to pursue life and purpose beyond the constraints that fear imposes.
