I have been extremely fortunate not to have any serious physical illness, but I have been plagued with a severe condition called fear. I have allowed fear to control my life because I have been brought up in a society conditioned to stay within the confines of its environment and shame anyone who thinks differently. As a child, I have always been different and confident in my uniqueness. However, it was hard to stay that way when the older generation made it a point to criticise. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will fundamentally restructure a child’s view on life. All I saw were people living in fear, so I became that person and made my decisions based on fear.