I am a member of the Muskogee people. I'm a poet, a musician, a dreamer of sorts, a questioner. Like everyone else, I'm looking for answers of some sort or the other.
Joy HarjoRead
But come here, Fear. / I am alive! / And you are so afraid / of dying.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes confronting fear with the resolve to live fully despite its presence.
Joy Harjo's quote reflects the intense relationship between fear and the human experience. By addressing fear directly and claiming oneβs own vitality, it suggests that recognizing and confronting our fears can empower us to live more authentically and courageously. The acknowledgment that fear itself is often rooted in the fear of death makes the celebration of life even more significant.
Themes
FearLifeCourageDeathLiving
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about overcoming obstacles.
More from Joy Harjo
All quotes βIt's important as a writer to do my art well and do it in a way that is powerful and beautiful and meaningful, so that my work regenerates the people, certainly Indian people, and the earth and the sun. And in that way we all continue forever.
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A story matrix connects all of us._x000D_ There are rules, processes, and circles of responsibility in this world. And the story begins exactly where it is supposed to begin. We cannot skip any part.
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You just go where poetry is, whether it's in your heart or your mind or in books or in places where there's live poetry or recordings.
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Bottom line, I have to follow what my soul says, or my spirit. And my spirit said that poetry and the arts should be without borders, should be without political borders.
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I don't like this romanticization of Indian people in which Indian people are looked at as spiritual saviors, as people who have always taken care of the land. We're human beings. But I think different cultures have developed different aspects of humanness.
Joy HarjoRead
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