What is fear?

[kvnchrist]

I've talked about almost everything from love, hate and everything that is in between, but what about fear, what I think is the engine that drives so many people to do so many inhuman acts upon each other.

What exactly is fear? Is it worry? is it anxiety? Is it despair or are those the reactions that come from fear itself?

How can we adequately deal with fear and if we can tame that, can we eliminate much of the worlds social ills?

[HeyYou]

Fear is the bodys' reaction to adverse conditions. You don't want to eliminate it. If you did that, and on one had any fear, you would see a lot of folks getting dead for stupid reasons. :)

[colourwheel]

Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat. To try to eliminate or tame "fear" as if it is some sort of social ill is like trying to tame any other emotion. Fear is not a bad thing. To be fearful is to be mindful. Fear is just another thing that makes one human or even more so just living. Fear is just another thing to remind us that we are "alive"...

Edited January 22, 2014 by colourwheel

[Vagrant0]

I guess it depends on what kind of fear you're talking about.

 

There is horror, which is a reaction related to the morbid, those things that we link to mortality, illness, or disgusting. Those things that remind us that we are just sacks of flesh and bone, meat to be consumed, no matter how brilliant we may be. It makes us consider how frail we are, how quickly what we value in our selves could quickly be carved out, ripped off, or crushed. Subsequently, it tends to keep us from doing those behaviors where we might come into contact with those things that may impart illness or injury in ourselves or others.

 

There is terror, which is a reaction to the profane, those things which we cannot even stand to hold for mere moments in our own mind, never mind fully comprehend. It is the darkness, the obscured, those places we dare not venture. It serves to keep the mind from wandering, considering harms, deviations, or depravities. It makes us try and keep to the safety of what is familiar, ordinary, socially acceptable. In describing things which are unsafe from those which are safe, it allows us to focus on those ideas which may benefit our culture or social understanding, instead of our own base animistic desires, or exploring into areas that mean us harm.

 

There is worry, which is a reaction to the uncontrolled, those things which we are faced with, but which exist outside our own power to influence. It drives us to inaction, making us believe that a situation is so outside our control that any attempt would only make it worse, or develops into belief that it is someone else's problem. It reminds us how little control we have over the world, others, or ourselves, how quickly those things we take for granted can vanish or become threatened. It forces us to consider other options or solutions which we may not otherwise, to give up something small for something big, or just respect what we have.

 

 

Just because we may not like the feeling does not mean that these are negative emotions. They exist to keep us healthy, maintain our sanity, and keeps us from chasing after unnecessary risks.

[kvnchrist]

I do remember someone said there were two types of fear. Running fear and fighting fear, but I pretty much think that that's more the individuals manor of handling fear instead of fear itself.

The one thing that gets me is that, when we were young our fears were supposed to be assuaged by our parents, but it seems with their own systems of beliefs they have ham stringed themselves, so that they are totally unable to be objective. This is legacy of the indoctrination into arbitrary belief systems.

I've always assumed that that education would be the key to tearing through the Vail of uncertainty, but there are a lot of highly intelligent people who still hold rigid belief systems and even in the face of hard facts they still default to these superstitions. Heck, how many people do you know that still toss a pinch of salt over their shoulder to ward off some evil, boogyman.

Travel was my next though as I believed that encountering different society would strengthen the understanding of a broader base of reality, but even then, there are some that can not get beyond the difference in the world and still hold of the same basic beliefs and fears they had when they were a child.

As I look across the world all that I've seen in my 50+ some odd years is that the only thing that wipes away the majority of fear is a greater fear. Just look at what 9/11 brought to this country. on 9/10 we were still embracing the same old ideals that had been the cornerstone of our society.

We were all different, by virtue of our color, our sex, our political affiliates and with one fell swoop of one 24 hour period, we were again one nation under one flag, as we were when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

What I would like to know is was the reaction to those attacks actually fear or was it more shock with fear quickly following up on it's coat tails.

[HeyYou]

Shock, then anger. Fear was instilled by our government so that they could get us to give up more of our freedoms, for the illusion of security. Worked good too.

[kvnchrist]

I think we have been conditioned over the years to do just that, but there has always been a bribe at the of that.

[Nintii]

Fear is a crippling emotional response that can be eradicated by forward planning, sorting the facts from emotions,

implementing a plan of action, having a fixed heart and mind, not following the crowd etc.

Many would call "not placing your hand on a red hot stove, a healthy fear", I'd rather call it wisdom.

 

Unfortunately, most people go through life never planning for anything and get caught with their shorts down.

[Tidus44]

How do you get someone to do something you want them to do? Easy, scare them, make them afraid. We are bombarded by fear every day, all day, by almost everyone.

 

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We are afraid to have yellow teeth, bad breath, body odor, the wrong car, the wrong phone, live in the wrong neighborhood and we need to be afraid of the government, the cops, the neighbors, the poor, the rich, those guys that hang out at the corner, and for our jobs and certainly our health because we don't eat the right foods and don't exercise enough. We need to fear terrorists, nuclear weapons, pollution, global warming and climate change, the economy, politicians and most certainly used car salesmen. We fear we pray to the wrong god or that we don't pray at all or live the "right" way.

It's also that little voice in the back of your head that says. "Don't do that, it's going to hurt".

 

Fear is big business and it's the way you get controlled by those who need to control you so they can do what they want, when they want and have you not only agree to it, but demand it because it alleviates your fears.

 

We are told "they" hate us and want to ruin our way of life. But "they" don't hate us, they are just afraid that we are trying to ruin their way of life. People identify them self by their culture. When they see their culture in change they become afraid, especially when the change is influenced by external forces. When they are unable to stop the change, the fear becomes desperation and can become hate and turn to violence.

And some cultures are just so arrogant and stupid they think they know what is best for everyone and try to force their culture on everyone else.

 

Fear in the right place isn't a "bad" thing, but it's the preferred means in influencing opinion and people.