Fear less. Love more. Judge no one. Care openly.

By Equality Rider Chelsea Fullerton

Fear less. Love more. Judge no one. Care openly.

I read these words slowly, deliberately. They come from a photo of a 3×6 foot rectangle, one of over 92,000 pieces of the AIDS quilt, which bears the names of those who have lost their lives as a result of HIV/AIDS. Nine words – so fundamentally simple in theory, yet infinitely evasive in practice, for they require a level of vulnerability too great to be without risk.

Living fearlessly. Loving unabashedly. Understanding fully. Caring boldly.

This is the way I want to live. This is an authentic life – life at its fullest.

Every morning, I remind myself of the words of one of my favorite authors, Dr. Brené Brown, who says that authenticity is a daily practice. She continues,

Authenticity demands wholehearted living and loving – even when it’s hard, even when we’re wrestling with the shame and fear of not being good enough, and especially when the joy is so intense that we’re afraid to let ourselves feel it.

All too often, I find myself grasping for the genuine within.

This daily pursuit of authenticity sends me on what seems to be an unending climb, a spiral staircase so long that I am no longer aware of where it began, much less where it will end (if it will end).

I ask at every turn – haven’t I been here before? I learn and unlearn, never quite arriving, always becoming. I realize more every day that this life is a journey – a journey where love and faith and identity are constantly being reshaped, refined, renewed.

And though I am ever growing, ever changing, ever journeying onward toward myself, I find more courage each day to fear less, to love more, to judge no one, and to care openly.

The Ride isn’t just about visiting schools, or engaging communities, or connecting students with the organizational and personal resources that they need so desperately. It is about truly breaking open our hearts to one another, taking the risk that comes with being vulnerable, but acknowledging that the rewards of unconditional love are far greater.

The AIDS quilt reminded all of us of the intense fragility that is this life. But more importantly, it reminded us tolive – authentically, unashamedly, abundantly.