Whether we admit it or not, we have fears, often times one gigantic fear that rules all of the others. We rationalize away this fear until we no longer believe that it is fear, but believe that it is a reality, a necessary part of our life, part of our arsenal of survival techniques. We avoid some of the most important issues in life simply because we are too afraid, and slowly over time it begins to ruin us.
What is at the root of fear? What causes it anyway? Often times it seems to come out of an experience which was often perceived in a highly exaggerated, emotionally charged fashion. Some fears have no apparent basis at all. Yet others have a very legitimate basis.
We all need to have certain fears, as long as they don’t grow to unhealthy proportions. For example, humans have a natural fear of injury, such as a fear of getting burned by fire. Oftentimes though, this falls more in the category of common sense and intuition than fear. Fear should be viewed as a negative, not positive emotion. Fear gets in the way of accomplishing or dreams, goals, and callings. One common fear is the fear of failure. I deal with this sometimes. When I think through it logically though, this fear is ridiculous. What’s the worst that could happen if I fail? Get somewhat embarrassed, or made fun of? Truth is, failure helps us to succeed. We should not aim to fail, but as humans it is inevitable, and knowing that we must use our failures to our benefit. For example, as a martial artist I know that defeat can hurt-both the physical and the moral. But those defeats have made me a better fighter by bringing out my weaknesses, and with those brought to attention, I have been able to diminish them little by little.
The fear of failure is common, but there are many other fears which control the minds of the population. Heck, some people are even afraid of wool, or buttons (go look it up)! The root of many fears seems obscure, and at times it seems as if the particular fear has no base, it’s just there. This though, is incorrect, as some fears are created by choice. It may be hard to believe that someone would choose to be afraid, but think about it. If there is no legitimate base for the fear, than it was a choice. It was allowed to creep into the mind and take over.
Even the fears that have a legitimate base are a choice. For example, someone who was attacked by a dog, and become afraid of all dogs, even if they provoked the attack in the first place, are allowing the fear created from one single incident to cloud the rest of their view of dogs. This is bias, and unfair. Yes, caution should be exercised, and steps taken to avoid further similar incidents. But caution is different than fear, and much more fair. Learn from a mistake, so that you avoid the same situation, or similar ones. Don’t let it cloud your whole view on a particular activity, animal, object, or person. Live brave, with common sense and intelligence, not fear. Fear creates more problems than it solves.
Whatever It Costs 