The Nature of Fear

 

 

I came across a delightful little book recently. It is called “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Dr Spencer Johnson. It is a little fable about two mice and two “littlepeople” dealing with change – or failing to deal with it. One of the things that prevents the littlepeople from dealing effectively with change - the fact that their cheese has been moved – is fear. Eventually, one of them asks a very powerful question: “What would I do if I wasn’t afraid?” This question is the key to dissipating the paralysis that has kept him frozen into inaction, and he is able to move forward into the maze of life to seek his lost cheese.

 

One of the hardest things to understand about the nature of fear is that it is a creation of the mind – it is False Expectations Appearing Real. We believe our fears are real, but as they are always about things that are yet to happen, they in fact exist in our imaginations rather than in reality.

 

“But if a man with a knife bursts through my door that’s not an imaginary fear! It’s a real fear!” It is imaginary, because it is what you think the man might do that you are afraid of. Based on your past experiences, you mind tells you that this is a potentially dangerous situation. But they are only potentials, they are only possibilities – until something actually happens they are creations of the mind. They are not real!

 

Take a moment to think about this, because it is a difficult concept for some people to grasp. Our fears are put there for a reason. They are put there to turn on the body’s “fight or flight” mechanisms, to protect us from danger. This mechanism generally works well in animals, but animals aren’t blessed – or cursed - with imaginations. With human beings, our imaginations can keep us in a state of perpetual anxiety, semi paralysed by fear.

 

But once we understand that fear is based on imaginary rather than real scenarios, and learn to live in the “now” rather than the possible future where all these dreadful events might overtake us, we are suddenly blessed with the wonderful gift of freedom. We are free to live our lives without fear of the possible consequences of our actions. We are free to explore and to experiment. We are free to experience life as a learning process rather than as a series of rewards and punishments.

 

As Sue Jeffars says in her wonderful book – Feel the Fear – and Do it Anyway!