What are you afraid of?
My first heroic instinct is to say, “nothing”. What could I possibly be afraid of?
That is not exactly true. There are moments when fear creeps up, an unwilling companion but one that does come visiting. I meet fear in those unguarded moments, when tiredness takes over and irrational feelings take hold. Fear loves to surprise, to beat the drum and fear adores preying on willing subjects.
I know fear is no friend of mine and I’m better off without the company.
There are fears that continue to torment us and whether they are rational or irrational, they are very real. I believe fear is something to be overcome, to rebel against and to knock on the head whenever possible. Fear leads straight to uncertainty and kills confidence in one foul swoop.
Fearless, with good sense and purposeful intention would be my motto.
What are we afraid of?
Shall we try and banish some of these fears to the far corners?
Spiders, Snakes and all that Bites
A common fear for most people; I can live with spiders but not so much the snakes. Nonsensical, I know. I am unlikely to be taken out by a snake. Still…
Darkness
Not often does the dark frighten me. The one fear, with a load of mental strength, which can be overcome; mind over matter helps tame the imagination.
Activities
A fear of flying is one that is very real for many. Some, like me, fear steep slopes and others speed. I fly every month and am realistic and fatalistic about the outcomes. Ask me to parachute or deep-sea dive and that would stop me. That’s the kind of fear I have no intention of overcoming; I can live with that.
Ageing
Right now it doesn’t bother me. Ask me in 20 years.
Ageing and vanity are partners in crime; the greater the vanity the more fearful the idea of ageing becomes.
Losing the capacity to function physically and mentally is the most frightening of all. The lack of control and the loss of “ourselves” is the one true fear.
Failure
We become enriched and more positive with success, we worry and decline with failure. The answer is to celebrate the wins and learn from the negatives. Nobody wins all the time and those that give the impression are simply clever at concealing the truth.
Failure is the way to mature, not something to fear.
The Unknown
I prefer to think of the unknown as the element of surprise, an excitement, rather than something to be scared of.
Loss
Fear of loss is so complicated. Who isn’t afraid to lose someone they love or something they hold precious? Life is an arduous journey and we can only hope that the joys far outweigh the losses. Fear of loss is not something to dwell on; we can prepare for loss if given the time and face it with strength when the inevitable happens.
Worrying, being afraid of what could, what might happen, is useless energy.
To focus on what we aren’t afraid of is the way we combat our fears. Fighting fear with all our might and eventually facing our demons, through hard work and perseverance, is the positive way to traverse life. Small triumphs mean everything and can overcome the greatest of fears.
Each and every minute needs to count, really count. We never know how many are left; the life clock never winds down. xv
you can read much more about “what we are afraid of”, here.
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