We all have fear in life. I don't let that fear control me. I

Hear the words of Nirmal Purja, the mountaineer who has looked death in the face upon the world’s highest peaks: “We all have fear in life. I don’t let that fear control me. I control it, manage it, use it as a positive.” In this teaching, he does not deny the existence of fear, nor does he call it weakness. Instead, he names it as a constant companion of the human journey. Fear is the shadow that walks beside us, the whisper in the night that warns of danger. But Purja shows us the higher path: fear is not master—it is servant. Fear is not an enemy to be destroyed, but a force to be controlled, managed, and transformed into a positive.

The meaning here is profound. Most men tremble at fear, letting it chain their actions, limit their dreams, and choke their courage. Yet the wise see fear for what it is: energy. If uncontrolled, it overwhelms. If denied, it festers. But if mastered, it sharpens the senses, awakens the body, and strengthens the spirit. This is the secret Purja reveals: fear can be fuel. It can be the wind that drives the ship, the fire that steels resolve, the weight that makes the warrior stronger.

The ancients, too, spoke of this truth. The Spartans taught their sons not to rid themselves of fear, but to fight with it at their side. For the warrior who feels no fear is reckless, but the warrior who masters fear is invincible. Likewise, the Stoics declared that adversity and danger are not to be avoided but embraced as training grounds for the soul. Purja’s words are a modern echo of these ancient teachings, forged not in philosophy alone, but in the thin air of the Himalayas.

History offers us shining examples. Consider the tale of Winston Churchill, who during the dark days of World War II stood before his people while bombs rained upon London. He surely knew fear, yet he refused to let it rule him. Instead, he transformed it into defiance, into words that lit the courage of a nation: “We shall never surrender.” It was not the absence of fear that made him great, but the mastery of it—the same mastery Purja calls us to embrace.

We must also remember that Purja himself lived this teaching. In 2019, he completed the unimaginable feat of summiting the world’s fourteen highest mountains in just over six months. Each climb carried mortal danger: avalanches, storms, thin air that crushes the lungs. Fear was ever-present. Yet instead of fleeing it, he managed it—turning it into focus, discipline, and determination. In his triumph, we see the proof that fear, when mastered, becomes not a shackle but a weapon.

The lesson for us is clear: fear will never leave us. It is stitched into the fabric of life, present in every challenge, every risk, every dream worth chasing. But we are not called to be its slaves. We are called to be its masters. The key is not to deny fear, but to acknowledge it, face it, and turn its energy toward creation instead of destruction. When we do this, fear ceases to paralyze and begins to empower.

Practical wisdom flows from this. When you feel fear, pause and name it. Do not run, do not hide—ask yourself, “How can this fear sharpen me? How can I use it?” Train yourself in small acts of courage each day, so that when greater fears arise, you are ready. Remember that courage is not the absence of fear, but the choice to act in spite of it. Let fear remind you that what you seek is worthy, that the path you walk is alive with meaning.

Thus Nirmal Purja’s words endure as a guiding flame: fear is not master, but servant; not enemy, but ally. All men feel it, but only the wise transform it. Let this truth be carried into every heart—that the soul who controls fear, who manages and uses it as a positive, walks the path of the hero, and leaves behind a trail of light for future generations to follow.