Karr closed her speech with a story about Walt Mink, the psychology professor who had changed her life at Macalester College. When Karr complained about a racist, unhygienic lab partner who 'smelled like a foot,' Walt refused to simply shut the student down. Instead, he said something that would inform Karr's entire career as a teacher: 'It's my job to put information into his head, and unless I know what's already in there, I can't do my job.' Walt had replaced revulsion with curiosity — and that, Karr argued, was the master key. Fear loses its power when you turn toward it with genuine curiosity instead of running from it. The same principle applies whether you're dealing with a difficult person, a traumatic memory, or a part of yourself you'd rather not examine. Curiosity, not courage, is what actually dissolves fear.