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On the Nature of Fear
Written by [Linderel]
Fear is a strange thing. One word, one emotion, that ranges from mild discomfort to debilitating, paralysing terror, and sometimes without any reasonable explanation to be given. All animals experience fear, and go into a 'fight or flight' response. Depending on the threat, some choose to fight where others feel forced to flee. Fear of fire, for instance, is something which many, if not most, species have in common. It is also usual to be frightened of predators - beings larger, stronger, or otherwise clearly more dangerous than oneself. This is pure survival instinct, and perhaps, in the end, that is all everything comes down to. What triggers this survival instinct, however, can differ quite a bit between individuals. And sometimes, for whatever reason, this instinct fails us - not by not sending warning bells off in our brain, but by making them so strong that we are traumatised. Phobia, by definition, is illogical.
What are you afraid of? Spiders, heights, foreigners, depths? Open spaces, crowds, confined spaces? Clowns? Snakes? Furthermore, how strong is that fear, where does it come from, and, most importantly, can you get rid of it? Naturally, it is only wise to be wary of certain things like, say, animals that are poisonous or otherwise dangerous, and it is also prudent to watch your step lest you topple off a cliff or something equally detrimental to your health. But when you face the things which you fear, are you able to function?
My own fears, as I imagine is the case with most people, mainly cause me (slight) discomfort. Some of these fears come from some childhood experience, but some are learned from others, ingrained into my own behaviour from my environment; for instance, I never thought much of wasps, bees or anything else that buzzed, but years of watching my older brother respond negatively have caused me to become jumpy as well. While he cannot say the same, I have never been stung.
Other fears of mine are not so easy to deal with. I do, however, occasionally make the effort to heighten my tolerance. I'm quite certain that I will never become fond of crowds or loud noises, and that it will be a while yet before I actually learn to swim, but I will get there. It will require a hell of a lot of patience, but I am nothing if not stubborn when I decide so.
Just some food for thought.
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