1. 1 year ago 

   Fear

   I was talking to one of my friends the other day about honesty. She said if she had been honest with her ex-boyfriend, maybe he would completely understand why she broke up with him instead of all of the miscommunication that has to occur as a result of the “I don’t want this anymore” explanation. I brought it up because I was nervous to ask somebody a question that might have been considered abrupt. Anyways, we started talking about why people lie to each other, and I know this seems like an obvious question..the answers being maybe…to avoid confrontation, to avoid a sense of hurt or negative emotion, whatever…but I couldn’t stop thinking (like usual) about how many pathways come out of one single emotion: fear. 

   I’ve heard that stress and anxiety are feelings when one  feels an inadequate sense of being..or possibly a result of not living up to their potential..or worrying about a future consequence or possibility. Stress and anxiety are symptoms of many diseases and, I truly believe, are most of the causes of said diseases as well. Well, I think stress, anxiety, depression, pain, and all other experiences of human nature that are classified as negative are a result of fear. Fear of what?

   Fear is a necessary emotion when one is fighting for their lives. If one is in a state of panic because there is somebody breaking into the house, we need fear to fight to move us to action. But my question is: why has fear infiltrated so many aspects of our lives? Why does fear keep us from trying? I think it has something to do with the fact that we can predict outcomes because of our giant brains. With the ability the frontal lobe gives us, all of the possibilities of a single action can be predicted by the frontal lobe. If fear is involved in the evaluation process, the outcome will seem bleak. One may not talk to that person they know they are meant to talk to because of the fear of rejection, humiliation. One may not even try for scholarships or getting a good grade on a test, because of their utter belief in the “i’m never going to be able to do that.” Or one may not move to New Zealand on a whim because of the fear of being broke and desolate. Well, because we live in a society where there are so many people who care about the general well being of the public, I think we are able, and should feel a sense of urgency, to take chances. Whether it’s small (leaving your bedroom, meeting new people, going on a jog, trying new food, whatever) or big, I don’t think fear is a reasonable excuse. Fear is the cause for regret. I should have’s and I could have’s are a waste of time. I’m not trying to preach because I’m giving myself advice as I write this as well, but i just think we owe it to ourselves to just try. As my aunt told me last summer, “what is the worst thing that can happen if you try? You’ll fail…but so what? You can do whatever needs to happen next.” 

   The problem of setting huge goals is that we lose ourselves along the way. One of the biggest lessons I’m learning (however trivial it may seem) is that commitment to a bigger goal is huge. I cannot reasonably expect to be published, or become a yoga/meditation master without assuming I’m going to fail on the upswing of a billion times. I heard a Ted talk the other day (I forgot which one) where the speaker was saying..what if a toddler gave up on learning to walk because of how many times they fall? 

   Fear is one of our first learned emotions. We needed it to learn our boundaries. We needed it to fight for food and shelter at one point in history. But why have we misplaced it and put it up as a boundary for so many things? 

   I’m not sure…but I want a revolution :)

2. Notes

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