PEGGY MCDONAGH

“ America ’ s Got Talent .” I enjoy seeing and hearing amazing displays of talent and watching people from all walks of life and different countries shed their inhibitions and bring their talent , or lack of it , to the world stage . This year I have been inspired by some of the people on the show who , in the face of incredible adversity , said ‘ yes ’ to life .

In 2005 Nigerian singer Kechi Okwuchi , at the age sixteen , nearly died in a plane crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of 107 passengers , many of whom were high school students . Although completely covered in burns , she and one other person managed to survive . Her love of music saw her through several years of pain and reconstructive surgery . While her story has been made public on “ America ’ s Got Talent ,” there are thousands of people like Kechi who , in the face of tremendous loss and great misfortune , say ‘ yes ’ to life .

This past summer many places around the world have been devastated by multiple natural and man-made disasters ; and even as people have lost so much to fire , hurricane , flood and war , they are saying ‘ yes ’ to life . I wonder why some people have the courage to say ‘ yes ’ to life but others do not ?

I invite you to say in your mind as loudly as you are able the word ‘ no .’ Say it a couple of times and then pause . How does it feel ? Now say as loudly as you are able the word ‘ yes .’ Say it a couple of times and pause . How does that feel ?

Dr . Ellen Albertson is a psychologist and author who works with people to help them say ‘ yes ’ to life as they struggle to make difficult and uncomfortable decisions . She suggests that when we say ‘ no ’ to making an important decision , facing a major change , or dealing with illness or loss , that this ‘ no ’ arises from fear : fear of the unknown , fear of change , or fear of being unable to adapt to a new situation . Millions of years ago the emotion of fear was hardwired into the brain because of its vital role in human survival . With humour , Albertson writes , “ This prehistoric brain of yours is still watching out for the Saber Toothed Tiger that got Grandma last week .” According to Albertson our brain is wired for fear that is no longer applicable in the modern world .

She suggests that most of our fears are learned , such as fear of insects , blood , darkness , needles , snakes and heights . I read somewhere that 7.6 % of the population is frightened of clowns and 8.9 % of Americans are afraid of zombies ! This is quite remarkable considering that zombies don ’ t even exist .

Fear triggers many of the uncomfortable emotions that impede our ability to say ‘ yes ’ to life or that help us rationalize our ‘ no ’ to life . Often , we cannot change the situation in which we find ourselves or the illness that we experience , but we do have a choice about how we will respond to these challenges ; either we respond with fear that leads to a ‘ no ’ or with courage that leads to a ‘ yes .’

10 | arta . net