Comments on: On Fear

By: More on Fear | Sarah Morgan

More on Fear | Sarah Morgan — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:42:21 +0000

[...] I’ve posted about fear before, and the challenge of it. [...]

By: Travis Prinzi

Travis Prinzi — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 02:35:04 +0000

H.P. Lovecraft called fear the “oldest and strongest” human emotion, and what’s why fear will always play a role in the stories we tell.

Maurice Sendak, when asked about his scary monsters in Where the Wild Things Are, said that the worst thing a kid could experience is to fear something in their own nightmare and find no parallel for it in the real world – which is why stories with scary monsters are so important. They’re controlled environments for learning to deal with and overcome fear.

This is what J.K. Rowling is getting at, and what you’re getting at in this post, with the good side of fear, and it has a lot to do with how kids – and later, how adults – learn to cope with it.

On the flip side, some fears are good things, because they lead to survival. You should fear that lion; he’ll eat you if you try to pet him.

By: Sarah Morgan

Sarah Morgan — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:27:41 +0000

@Britt - I like that. @Greg - Pushing through the fear seems to always be worth it. The worst bit is the moment before you begin. @Steve - I totally agree. Both about the mulling, and about the Shaq. Fear must be the topic du jour - Leo just posted thison Zen Habits.

By: Steve Woodruff

Steve Woodruff — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:36:42 +0000

Mulling on a fear overmuch tends to inflate the thing feared. Best to just chuckle at it, and take it on. Usually whatever is feared is much smaller than you’ve led yourself to think. Unless it’s Shaq. He’s bigger.

By: Greg Rust

Greg Rust — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:19:09 +0000

Sarah, I enjoyed this post. Considering the events of today’s environment, I am sure people are experiencing fears they never thought they would face. Granted, there is a lot we can control as you mention, but so much is out of our control. When I decided to do triathlon, I didn’t know how to swim. So I took swimming lessons to learn but that training didn’t prepare me for the mental fear of swimming 2.4 miles in the ocean,,,the ocean!! Like you pointed out, I was determined to conquer the fear I had imagined. But in doing so, I realized yet another life lesson. That is, I will limit my personal growth by not embracing this challenge and seeing what comes out the other side.

By: Miss Britt

Miss Britt — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:17:14 +0000

My mother’s favorite metaphor for this is standing in the ocean. You can fight against the waves and where yourself out. Or you can stand there and let it wash over you until they pass.