Fear

Fear has been the topic of many books and essays. It is viewed in most enlightened theological viewpoints as being in direct contrast to Faith. Fear is an ingrained emotion and instinct that we have inherited from our pre-historic ancestors. It is necessary to survival. Without it we'd always take unnecessary risks and have no caution when we should be. However, fear can sometimes control our lives in conscious as well as unconscious ways. It can cause us to behave very irrationally and create a life that is limited and paranoid.

Fear can be focused on many different targets. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the unfamiliar. Fear of death. Fear of life. Fear of authority. Fear of losing. Fear of winning. The list goes on and on. Fear controls us when we are not aware it is doing so. We control Fear when we are aware of it and then let our reason enter the arena to rationally check and analyze the source of the Fear. The book "The Science of Fear" refers to Gut and Head to describe how fear arises as an emotional reaction and reason is need to check Gut lest the Fear turn into a mushroom cloud overshadowing more balanced actions.

One response to Fear is to step back and look at what is actually known about the situation. Here, statistics can be very beneficial. Getting and knowing good statistical information can be difficult in our culture where selling Fear is more profitable than selling Faith. Saturation with media is a big problem when statements are made without being backed up or compared to relative statistics or information. Many times, once something is stated by a public figure, it takes on the stature of a fact, no matter how weak the support for the position might be.

Once whatever is responsible for the Fear is recognized and understood as some level of risk, Faith can drive through the Fear with strong belief in a positive outcome. We should move forward in Faith and Confidence, knowing that the outcome we desire will prevail and take actions that support progress toward positive ends that move forward.