Fear

[omega20]

There's nothing to fear but fear itself.

[Lavarinth]

Fear... so exhilerating.
Despair... so delicious.

This pear.. So delicious.

ONCE YOU HEAR IT YOU CAN'T UNHEAR IT!

[Theia_Loki]

I certainly wouldn't even consider myself "fearless".
The only major thing that I really, really fear is.......a lack of fear; as in, not being afraid. Besides, if we weren't all afraid of something (or if most people weren't as jumpy when they get scared by something for the first time), then the world would be rather boring.

If we're talking specifics, it's fear that we won't get hilarious scenarios of people getting scared and jumpy; whether they get scared by some creepy bug or fake poop which looks real from a distance but turns out to be fake.

Just a comical sense of fear. 

[Marco]

FUCK

[Alevice]

As of late, most of my fears are of the irrational type: toads, clusters of holes, shit like thats. I can't say I am afraid of many rational things, other than losing my current job, as I totally love it.

That aside, I think I have been able to enjoy challenges that life shows up. I don't worry living alone, I don't worry about growing up, I don't worry about the new plethora of responsibilities, I don't worry about people's reactions about my thoughts. Well, I worry, but not in a sense of fear, only in a sense of convenience, so I act and react according to the most desirable outcome.

In many ways, I have become socially desentisized, however. Other than doing collaborative activities that bring me personal pleasure, I don't care much about social relationships as a whole. Other than trying to get an excuse to get to know a pub/disco/restaurant and the occassionaly chit chat, I have little concern about making friends and shit. At work, I am pretty much known as a polite gentleman, but not exactly friendly. I am not certain to what degree it is good or bad, as I am aware sometimes we need third parties involved in our life, in particular when problems arise (getting sick and shit). I still try to get in touch with reality and try my best to be as social as deemed fit and required.

I find interesting you mention fear as a safety mechanism. Health and economical concerns aside, I really dont understand why people have an urge to feel safe. It makes life so dull at times. I can understand having an organized lifestyle, but deviating from the norm in the name of satisfaction should be always appreciated, preventing abuse, of course. It's all about an flow that goes up and down steadily, and occasionaly wave to provide a boost to the pace.

Sensations, however, should never be getting rid of. I still rely on pain (physical and emotional), happiness, anger, sadness and disconfort, when I want to shape myself as the person I intend to become. Every emotion and experience is both a tool and a stroke that get to define us, and sometimes they should be carefully handled to obtain a desired outcome.

[IskatuMesk]

Toads? Any particular reason?

[Alevice]

Child trauma, if I had to guess. I don't know of the specific root and whatever the real catalizer is.

[Xenon]

There's nothing to fear but fear itself.

...said a guy who himself created a lot of fear.

[Alevice]

By fear itself he meant himself

[Xelxiuz]

And it's easy to say you're not doing anything relatively dangerous, but I bet if you were in my mind a few years ago, you'd realize it can be an equally terrifying place.  Everything's circumstantial.

Until you elaborate there can be no merit to your words. Such a statement is just as ignorant and arrogant as those who would make similar claims against you. I can tell you guys all about when I walked through Mexico and saw people fucking shooting each other in broad daylight and dead bodies lying around while everyone is still hanging their laundry but that doesn't mean anything if you don't want it to be.

The phrase, "I'm not afraid of being proved wrong" comes to mind.

Correction it's "I'm not afraid of being proven wrong".

Maybe if someone did prove me wrong, I'd be willing to accept that it wasn't a lack of fear, but a new level of confidence.  It doesn't feel that way.  It's true I no longer feel insecurity, but it isn't like instant confidence or lack of inhibition.  I still try to use good judgment when speaking with people or choosing to do something.  I still have to work out my problems with the lessons I've learned as a guideline.  If a stress in life comes up, I still feel it.  I was surprised that my gut still wrenches at times, but I don't give it any power or dwell on what's bothering me.  I always think back to my favorite quote of all time, "Do the best you can, and let the rest take care of itself."  A clean simple message that tells you face your problems as best you can, and don't attach yourself to the outcome.  I felt this lack of fear for about a month now, and it's hasn't been about testing it or pushing it to its limits, but rather accepting it. 

Hint: The way you hold such value and meaning in the context, definition, and value of words like confidence, fear, etc in your posts sheds quite a bit of light on your new attitude.

Why be so over analytical and invested in this stuff?

It's only over analytical if you A) can't apply it B) are wrong.

I really do want to see what is going on in the mind of others.  The best way to do that is to first understand myself and the truth of my character.

Double-edged sword for most people. Try figuring that one out.

I really dont understand why people have an urge to feel safe.

I'll bet a tenner on this phrase just being a "YA KNOW WHA I MEAN MANG?" thing and not a literal "I have NO IDEA why ... Please TELL ME".

Cause it takes two seconds to step into other people's shoes and make up an infinite amount of reasons that can't just be swept away by will power and resolve without completely wiping said person's entire history and personality. 1 if you've done this before.

[Marco]

Hint: The way you hold such value and meaning in the context, definition, and value of words like confidence, fear, etc in your posts sheds quite a bit of light on your new attitude.

See my previous reply.

[Xelxiuz]

I don't know how you sound like. Do I just dub it over with Mesk's voice? Cause that makes you sound angry and loud.

[Marco]

Sure.  Me and Mesk are pretty much separated at birth anyway.

[Legion]

The only thing I'm really cautioning myself against doing is being arrogant.  I wondered if declaring myself lacking fear was arrogant, though I felt like I should talk about it.  The phrase, "I'm not afraid of being proved wrong" comes to mind.  Maybe if someone did prove me wrong, I'd be willing to accept that it wasn't a lack of fear, but a new level of confidence.  It doesn't feel that way.  It's true I no longer feel insecurity, but it isn't like instant confidence or lack of inhibition.  I still try to use good judgment when speaking with people or choosing to do something.  I still have to work out my problems with the lessons I've learned as a guideline.  If a stress in life comes up, I still feel it.  I was surprised that my gut still wrenches at times, but I don't give it any power or dwell on what's bothering me.  I always think back to my favorite quote of all time, "Do the best you can, and let the rest take care of itself."  A clean simple message that tells you face your problems as best you can, and don't attach yourself to the outcome.  I felt this lack of fear for about a month now, and it's hasn't been about testing it or pushing it to its limits, but rather accepting it.  

we all know the examples like the one given earlier, about being in Iraq. it's kind of the same thing some people say when somebody's expressing they're unhappy. you can always expect a response like, "if you were born in Africa, and you had no food and clothes, THEN you'd be unhappy". these people are rightfully attempting to put things into perspective, but they forget that they are comparing apples and oranges at this point.

living your life without fear doesn't mean you wouldn't be afraid if you were lying in some trench in Iraq. it doesn't mean you'd laugh in the face of your gunslinging robber in that dark alley. it just means you've reached a different level of confidence, as desler said. you're not constantly worried about what could go wrong in your life and you DON'T count your blessings. because counting your blessings is surrendering to some unnamed, unknown power that decides whether you should be afraid or not.

i am NOT without fear. i do count my blessings, and when a situation's outcome is still undecided, i expect the worst and hope for the best.

but that's the thing. having no fear is also the death of hope. it's when you have something to lose that hope starts playing a part in your life. fear and hope are always together. i'm not sure yet if i want to lose them.

[Marco]

Interesting how you say fear and hope are connected.  I've recently taken to getting rid of the word 'hope' from my repertoire.  Hope implies leaving things to chance.  Hope is absolutely required in the presence of fear, because those things we fear aren't always able to be faced up to by us.  Hope is a way of saying things might end up working out regardless of a undesired outcome.  Hope paves the way for procrastination, and gives us permission not to act in certain situations which might benefit from our action.  Hope serves a useful purpose, but its like putting training wheels on a bike.  You eventually need to take those wheels off and ride without them if you're ever to truly ride a bike like it was meant to be ridden.

I'm not saying you should get rid of hope.  I'm saying you can, if you're ready to accept life as it is.  I suppose I feel this way because I encountered a couple people in my life who relied far too much on hope.  Even knowing that something could be changed and it was within their power to do it, they still chose to rely on hope instead.  Hope, like fear, is another one of those things we can let grow out of control, past the boundaries of what its necessary to provide in terms of stability for the average human.