Fear



Fear is an emotion we experience when we are afraid, when we sense imminent threat, or danger, or harm. It's our response to a fight or flight situation. It is our innate defence system cautioning us, or telling us to be cautious. Most of the time, we fear because we do not know, or understand the cause of our fear. What we actually fear is the unknown. Once we understand the reasons for our fear, we can take precaution, or prevention. Then, we may cease to fear, or lessen the degree of our fear.

What we do not understand, we fear; and what we fear, we tend to take peremptory action, sometimes, to destroy. That is why they say that fear is the path to the dark side. Fear makes us defensive. And when we are in fear, we don’t think straight. This could lead to aggressive and impulsive responses which make us inhuman sometimes.

Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood. Once you understand the wherein and whence forth, there is no need to fear. It needs only to be faced with bravery. And quite often, when we face up to our fears, we find that our fear was baseless. Or that it was never as bad as we had expected. And every time we overcome, or face up to our fears, we gain strength and confidence. So, be brave, face what you can’t avoid.

The next time you fear something, ask yourself why you fear. What is the rationale for your fear. Can anything be done about it? If something can be done, then there is no need to fear. If it is something you cannot avoid, then you should just face up to your fears. But before the time has come to face your fear, you shouldn’t be wasting your life fearing. Find something to do. Keeping yourself busy is one way of forgetting your fears. Do something that requires so much of your attention that you forget about your fears.

Fear is part and parcel of life. It is a part of our emotional make-up. It is natural to be fearful, but we should control our fears instead of letting it control us. A little fear is good. It keeps us on edge and prepared for eventualities. But too much fear can paralyse us. Fear can be a very negative and destructive emotion if you cannot control it.