Fear!

Fear! was Originally Posted on April 20, 2004 by lavarock

Fear is a humans constant companion. Some people recognize it and overcome it; some ignore it and some are paralyzed by it.

We generally don’t want to acknowledge our fears because it shows us to be weak and not in control.

Fear comes in many shades and volumes. Here are some examples.

Fear of the unknown. We back away from projects and functions which make us uncomfortable. Asking for a date, moving to a new city, taking on a new job are some examples. Generally we can overcome these. Suppose your boss asks you to start a new task and you feel that you have no idea what you are doing. You probably [i]have[/i] the skills to perform the task because the boss hired you based upon your skills.

Fear of an event based upon your prior experience. We fear something because we have “been there, done that” and imagine the outcome in advance. A failed marriage might cause you to shirk from getting married again because you may relive the experience. You almost drown in a pool and shy away from swimming because you know the danger and don’t accept the possibility of it happening again. Many times the same results will not occur and you may lose out because you cannot get the previous event out of your mind. The old saying tells you to get back on the horse that threw you off.

Fear of an event which you have not experienced, but believe that it [i]might [/i] happen to you. You see the movie “Jaws” and believe you might be bitten if you get into the water. You see a plane crash and you think you might be a victim if you fly. many of these fears and unjustified, but seem real enough to make people not want to see how often the events occur.

Fear of everything. I classify this as more than fear of the unknown. It is more a feeling of comfort and not wanting to “rock the boat” by doing anything that will change the current status quo. This fear makes many people refrain from being adventurous, for no good reason.

I have to admit to experiencing many of the above to one degree or another.

I love to fly but when offered the chance to actually be in a small plane with the “stick” in my hand, caused me to shudder and shake. However, I did ‘pilot” the plane for a short time. Understand that this also helped me to partly overcome another gear I have. I used to think I had a fear of heights; howevere, it really is a completely different fear. The actual fear is a fear of FALLING, not of the actual height. There really is a difference. The actual height does not bother me. I used to work in a highrise. Sitting away from the window was easy, but I noticed a twinge of fear as I stood next to the window and looked down. years of doing that helped me not to care.

I have had a fear of water since I almost drowned (or thought I was going to) in a pool when I was young, and when I attempted to snorkle in the Bahamas and swallowed what seemed like tons of water. it appeared to be a panic attack I had and I was thinking about that pool as I headed back to the boat.

Other fears have bothered me over the years. I started watching “Jaws” and decided that I really didn’t need to go swimming other than in a pool. I am not alone though. It appears that many people have been bothered by the movie and constant references to shark attacks. For relief, I offer the newly launched website which puts shark attacks (at least in Hawaii) into perspective. That sit is at http://HawaiiSharks.com

Have I given up on all of my fears? NO! I have recognized most of them and that is the first step. Most of our fears or not justified and by just setting the thoughts aside and just doing the event usually proves to us that we worried needlessly.

I write all of this to tell you about my newest fear, just discoveded today. It is the fear that the outcome of a recent event will not be in my favor.

You see, I was away from the house for about 20 hours. Sometime during that time, my water pipe broke and water gushed out at full pressure, all over someones farm. Oh, they won’t care about the water as it was raining all day anyway. However, I have no idea how long the water flowed and whether the water company will take pity on me. I can only hope! This fear is real and understandable