Fear
Fear is a common crutch that we humans cling on to. We believe it’s a safety net to protect us from embarrassment, failure, and others’ lack of empathy. If we’re afraid we don’t try. If we don’t try we don’t take risks. If we don’t take risks we don’t get embarrassed or fail. Fear is a feeling that we possess, which keeps us safe - or so we believe.
Fearing dangerous animals or vacating a life-threatening area are positive outcomes of fear. Fearing danger is necessary for our physical survival. Unfortunately, we’ve tricked our brain into believing that danger is ever-present. Now this reality exists for some people who face actual danger every day. But many of us just perceive life as dangerous. We’re disconnected from the hope and curiosity that could make us better and stronger humans. Once again, we fear embarrassment and failure, to name a few. This stunts our potential leadership, romance life, quality conversations, and exploration of the world. This fear is not a safety net. That’s a lie that we’ve fed to ourselves. Fear promotes misery and limitations - whenever you choose to realize it.
I remember opening up to an older gentleman about my fears. I told him how I’d get intimidated by people who sounded very knowledgeable about history and different aspects of life. It’d make me feel like I didn’t know enough or that I should know more. This man told me that there’s only 2 things that we as humans inherently know - walking and language. As children we learn how to walk on our own. And if you put a baby in any part of the world, they will adjust and naturally pick up the language. He said that outside of these 2 things, we have to actively seek and learn information. We can’t just be expected to know things. As smart as he himself seems to me, he’s very open to being proven wrong. So what are we really afraid of? We’re all just trying to figure it out. The person who mocked you isn’t perfect either. They’ve also been laughed at.
Everybody fears. But we can push past these fears if we really understand the way life works. Oftentimes, fear is just an exaggeration in your mind of what could be. It’s cognitive distortion. The other side of your mind is where the true comfort lies. This is where you feel safe. If you don’t allow fear to lead you, you feel peace. You just have to have faith. Take risks in order to feel free. Safety and fear are not synonymous. They are actually the opposite.
