“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.”
Image credits：Aronsyne,”Lewis, age 48″,CC BY-SA 4.0,C.S.-Lewis – C. S. Lewis – Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- November 29, 1898 – November 22, 1963
- Born in Ireland
- Writer, scholar
- Had a major influence on fantasy literature and religious thought through his many works, including the Chronicles of Narnia series and The Poetics of Christianity
Quote
“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.”
Explanation
In this powerful quote, C. S. Lewis reflects on the overwhelming and disorienting nature of grief, drawing a parallel between it and fear. Grief, for Lewis, is not simply a feeling of sadness or loss, but an experience that can induce a deep sense of uncertainty, dread, and vulnerability. Much like fear, grief makes the world feel unpredictable and threatening, leaving a person feeling exposed and uncertain about the future. This comparison reveals that grief, in its rawness, does not just affect the heart, but also the mind, disorienting a person’s sense of security and control, much in the way that fear disrupts one’s peace of mind.
Historically, Lewis wrote these words after the death of his wife, Joy Davidman, an event that brought him face-to-face with the personal nature of grief. In his memoir A Grief Observed, he delves deeply into the psychological and emotional effects of loss, exploring how grief can distort one’s perceptions of reality and make life feel foreign and unsettling. His insight captures the unpredictability of emotional pain, where grief becomes not just about mourning a loved one, but about confronting a world that feels alien and frightening without them.
In the modern world, this quote resonates with those who have experienced loss, whether through death, personal failure, or other forms of separation. The feeling of grief often comes with a profound sense of fear, not just for the future, but for one’s own ability to cope or make sense of the world. Lewis’s insight validates the emotional complexity of grief, encouraging us to acknowledge that it can feel like a loss of control, a confrontation with fear itself. This recognition can help others feel less isolated in their own struggles with grief, knowing that these feelings are part of the human experience.
