If you're scared, is it okay to run away?

Everyone grows up being taught that "running away is wrong." See it through to the end, don't give up, don't quit. Those words are certainly beautiful, and there are times when they are correct.

However, that is not necessarily justice in every situation.

In this world, there are things you should not face. When you feel pain that breaks your heart or fear you simply cannot endure, wanting to "run away" is neither weakness nor laziness.

It is an alarm your heart has sounded to survive.

The choice to run away is part of the survival instinct.

Just as animals protect themselves from danger, humans also have an "instinct to retreat." No one sticks their hand into a fire.

Pulling your hand away the moment you feel the heat—that is a reaction to protect your life.

Emotional pain is the same. The moment you feel scared, painful, or that you can't take it anymore, your mind is crying out that it has exceeded its limits.

If you push yourself too hard there, your heart may crack, and it could take years to recover. "Running away" is not a shame; it is an extension of the instinct to "survive." There are times when the ability to judge when to protect yourself is more necessary than the courage to face things.

"Running away" does not mean "losing."

Society tends to talk about results in terms of "winning and losing."

Quitting a job, being unable to go to school, cutting off a relationship—there is no end to the voices that blame such events as "running away." But is that really a "loss"?

You are still there after you run away.
Your heart is beating, and you are breathing.
That alone is already a magnificent "survival."

If you ran away to protect something, that is a choice and a will. Even if no one understands, the "path you chose to live" has meaning. To run away means to prioritize your life.

It is a magnificent survival strategy where you do not abandon yourself and try to stay alive.

What you see after you run away

After running away, people often feel that they are weak.

However, the act of running away actually requires a great deal of courage. It is a choice to protect yourself, even while taking on the decision to change your situation, the anxiety of leaving a familiar place, and the fear of what others might think of you.

In the silence that follows running away, there comes a moment when you can finally breathe. Only then do you regain the ability to think in the true sense. Where are you heading from here? What did you love? How do you want to live? There are landscapes you would never have seen if you hadn't run away.

The more strongly people believe they must not run away, the more they blame themselves when their hearts reach their limit. But there are lives that can only be saved by running away.

If you can stand up again after running away, it is not a defeat, but a rebirth.

Running away is synonymous with living

Running away is not the same as giving up. It is synonymous with protecting yourself, respecting yourself, and living.

Everyone has things they are afraid of. Relationships, responsibilities, the past, the future, and oneself. When you feel like you are about to be crushed by them, please, do not force yourself to fight.

If your heart breaks, you will no longer be able to do anything. The very feeling of being scared is proof that you are still alive. You are scared precisely because you are alive. Do not deny that feeling; please accept it.

If you were scared and ran away, that is fine.
You don't have to blame yourself for running away.

You who ran away are not a coward, but a hero who tried to live.

Even after running away, if you are alive, the path continues

Even if you run away, as long as you are alive, something will begin again. It might be by chance, or it might be inevitable. But one thing is certain—life continues even after you run away.

No matter how small the step, if you are alive, something will definitely change. New encounters, realizations, peace, and smiles. These are things you can obtain precisely because you ran away.

Running away is living.
And living is connecting to hope.
If you get scared, it is okay to run away.

So that the day will come when you, who ran away, can smile again—please keep living today for that sake.

Finally, set to a song

I wrote a song based on the content of this article. It's pop-rock. If you'd like, please give it a listen. I've also included the lyrics.

"It's Okay to Run Away"