Complete confidence in my personal code of ethics is the key to fearlessness.
I've thought about it a lot over the years, and I can honestly say that the only thing I'm afraid of, is losing my freedom. I don't fear death, torture, sickness, or other very scary stituations in life. But being incarcerated in an institution where I'm not permitted to be myself, and locked into an area with no permission to go outside that area ever... that scares me, a lot.
By having 100% confidence in my personal ethics, I can be reasonably sure that I will never do an injustice to someone, or some entity, that the enforcers of law and justice believe I should be stripped of my freedom, and be institutionalized for weeks, months, or even years. I will make mistakes, and possibly harm others with my actions. This is near impossible to avoid for almost all of us. But none of this harm will be severe enough to deserve criminal charges resulting in the end of freedom for me.
Living without fear is a beautiful thing.
This realization made walking home from the other side of town in the blistering cold.
Today is my mother's birthday. She's away, down south. I think I'll call her and wish her the best.