Fear

A sentiment I hear often is that fear must be overcome.

Fear doesn't need to be overcome. It needs to be understood.

At its very base, fear is what allows us to survive. The future survival of any species is determined by how well the species knows danger, and how well the species can avoid it. You won't run from something if you don't know why you should.

Humans developed fear to keep us alive, but we began using it less and less as society progressed. We developed ways to avoid danger without ever seeing it, and as such, we didn't need to fear it anymore.

While humanity managed to overcome most necessity for fear, we started to think about what fear was. Without using fear to keep us alive, we only saw that it made us feel bad, helpless, and weak. We shunned fear.

But this approach to fear is not ideal. Fear is a basic part of the human psyche, and for good reason. From an evolutionary perspective, it makes sense, but it also plays a role in our current lives.

Fear is what makes us reconsider out decisions, perfectly crafting them to avoid danger. We could never have put a man on the moon if we didn't spend years creating the perfect system to keep him safe in the harshest environment in the universe. Fear is what makes us help those less fortunate, out of worry towards what might happen if we don't, or, perhaps more selfishly, out of fear that some higher power will be displeased if we withhold assistance. It makes us want to live our lives to the fullest, because above all we fear death. Fear is, essentially, what makes us human.

So I argue that we shouldn't try to eradicate fear. We should try to understand this crucial part of our minds.

We should see what causes us to be afraid and why: whether its more self-explanatory fears like heights or spiders, or more complex ones-the fear of falling in love, or being alone. For some these are mental disorders that need treatment, and I would never discourage someone from seeking help. But for fears that aren't born out of traumatic experiences or psychiatric problems, examining why we feel this way about certain issues can help us understand ourselves and our society.

Understanding fear is the key to understanding what we care about and why. So don't try and destroy fear. Embrace it, and see where it takes you.