“I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
― Frank Herbert, Dune (Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear)
When I was growing up, my Aunt Sonia always sent a book for my birthday each year. She worked as a book editor in New York. I am eternally grateful for the way that she shared her love of books — an affliction that I carry to this day. For a kid that did not own many books, to receive something as valuable as a book of my own was something extremely special. The genres of books were widely different each year. At around 11 or 12 years old, I received Frank Herbert’s Dune, the science fiction masterpiece. This book started me on the road to devour the science fiction section in the public library–a treasured place that gives the luxury of books to everyone.
There are things that impact your way of thinking in subtle ways. In those formative years, I absorbed the rich world of Dune–the imaginative landscape and the intersection of politics, religion, and the characters caught up in the movement of history. Admiring the Bene Gesserit characters, I wanted to train my mind and body. In one scene, I absorbed the capacity of patience to a fault and decided that no one would ever out wait me. It’s a strange thought that I remember having. In some ways, it has served me well. In others, I suffer through the fallout of still waiting. Yet, there are well-placed bits of wisdom, like the words of a trusted friend, that get taken in without knowing it.
It is not that I would recite the Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear, but rather that I absorbed the message. Face your fear. The fear is an illusion…
“I will not fear. Fear is the mind-killer, the little-death. I will face my fear. When the fear has gone, only I will remain.”
I recently watched the new television series as the world of Dune made its way to the screen for the second time. The movie did not capture the sense of the book that I remember, but captured something very different. I was disappointed. Because of this, I had the urge to re-read the book. That’s when I discovered that the book was published in 1965! I had assumed that it was new when I read it in the 1980’s because it was new to me.
There are few things that are timeless in literature, and Dune has survived as one of them. The grand world crafting of science fiction opens to the story of people caught up in politics, religion, philosophy, environmentalism, and all the issues that as humans we still create today. We shift through the various perspectives of the characters with each chapter. The characters do not see the whole truth, but we must endure the tension of knowing some (but not all) of the places that they are blind to. Ancient wisdom is infused into a modern setting. The world and the story unfolds.
The book is beautiful, and I encourage you to check it out. It is the start of a long series of books. Frank Herbert wrote a trilogy, and then added three more books before he died. His son, Brian Herbert, has taken on the Dune universe and collaborated with other science fiction writers to add to the Dune series. However, it all starts with one book:
Frank Herbert’s Dune
References
- Dune Fandom Wiki, Litany Against Fear
- Find the book in your local library or click the image above for the Amazon listing. The movies do not capture the full scope of the book, so I recommend starting with the book.