There are many cultural and scientific manifestations that try to explain, interpret and/or depict fear. Would you contribute some of examples? Articles, literary works, scientific papers, etc.
Fear is the emotion felt / experienced whenever our primitive survival instinct is triggered.
I would just discuss another painting, e.g. presenting flowers or flower fields, for instance!
There is an interesting brief essay on "the nature of fear" (as it exists in politics and governance) as construed by early Greek and Roman historians (which may be relevant to understanding some of the fear rampant in the American political system, nowadays, most of which seems misconstrued & mislabeled by pundits as "anger"), here:
http://wareh.wikia.com/wiki/The_Nature_of_Fear
Bob, thank you for the article and for your suggestion that "pundits" are renaming fear as "anger". I think you are right. If we have fear, something is being inflicted upon us. If we are angry, it is our own problem and we should solve it. That is a mean way to assuage fear...
Warm regards, Lilliana
We are besieged by unspeakable fear. What is fear?
To me fear is a common part of our human's attributes reacting towards certain stimulus like experience, belief or perception of harm that is coming to us either physically or / and psychologically.
Why and how it affects us?
Reason we fear because it is a reaction towards certain stimulus like negative experience, belief or perception of harm that can endanger us. I think everyone has their own fear(s) e.g. darkness, death, illnesses, persecution, uncertainty in life etc and fear(s) can be different from person to person. Even many people have the same fear but the degrees / priorities of fear might also vary. Some people might have more items to fear vs others.
Can we overcome it? What would be need to set us free from fear?
Yes, we can overcome fear but depending on how / method(s) we used to overcome it. Fear may not be 1-off thing & it might return after we overcome it. One fear item gone may replace with a new fear etc. We need to always be watchful on how to overcome our fear(s). Some people can overcome fear by confronting or experiencing it once or for few times, by listening to advice / words of encouragement from a close friend or also from scripture verses like the following:
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Psalm 56:3
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4
“Tell everyone who is discouraged, Be strong and don’t be afraid! God is coming to your rescue…” Isaiah 35:4
“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
“I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4
“But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats.” 1 Peter 3:14
Excellent, dear Han Ping Fun! Thank you for your reflection. Do you think that, independently from the protection promised by religion, there are situations in the world that have to be corrected in order to live a life without fear?
Best regards, Lilliana
Excellent, dear Han Ping Fung! Thank you for your reflection. Do you think that, independently from the protection promised by religion, there are situations in the world that have to be corrected in order to live a life without fear?
Best regards, Lilliana
Several types of fear: fear of change, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of rejection, fear of the truth, etc. All of these stem from one thing, fear of the unknown. What will it be like living in a new city? What will happen if I fail? What will happen if I succeed? How will I deal with rejection? What if I don't like the answer? Not knowing leads to fear. Many failures have been the result of someone fearing to take that next step, to risk (or accept) change and move on. Those that bask in success usually are the ones that took risks (e.g. conquered or went against their fears).
Fahrenheit 451.
Bradbury... yeah! Thank you, James! That is one of Bradbury's almost standard topics. My favorite among his books: The Martian Chronicles, his inaugural splash in the literary world :-)
Lilliana
Hi Lilliana,
In my personal view, changing for better situations in the world can enable us to live a life without / with less fear because current world situations is getting worse e.g. wars, conflicts, persecution, violence, crime, earthquake / tsunami / natural disasters, famine, terrorism, economic uncertainty, unemployment, divisions, disease, death. I'm not sure these world situations can be corrected - for those within our human's means, think we can correct some provided that all of us are doing our parts. How about those beyond our control? Sometimes, thinking that might be a blessing in disguise - if we have fear, it might prompt us to prepare in advance how to handle / overcome it.
Think nice things
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=images+of+flowers&qpvt=images+of+flowers&qpvt=images+of+flowers&FORM=IGRE
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=images+of+trees&qpvt=images+of+trees&qpvt=images+of+trees&FORM=IGRE
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=forest+flowers&qpvt=forest+flowers&qpvt=forest+flowers&FORM=IGRE
Your premise is that we are besieged by unspeakable fear. While this sounds very exciting, I do not for a moment believe it's true. We are besieged by consumer advertising, by political and military propaganda, by unwanted and banal music, certainly, but the result of this is that most people spend most of the time more or less asleep.
So I don't think there's a question, unless you can show the we are actually besieged, by fear and that, furthermore, the fear is unspeakable. Which is hard to do, I suggest, without speaking or writing.
But thank you for making me stop and realise the many pleasures of this cold spring day.
Dearest Marcel, you just gave me a master class in fear-fighting: the appreciation of beauty. I grabbed my camera, stepped out of the house into my patio, and this is what I found: beauty. Here are my flowers and plants. It's been raining and all of them look shinny. I love my garden. It is carpe diem time!
I am learning a lot from you. I think I will spend the rest of the afternoon reading outdoors. Thank you!!!!! :-)
Warmest regards, Lilliana
Dear Ronán, it's been a year now that Syrians have been braving the mediterranean waves to get away from war, where too many of them have drowned. War is there, around the corner, for almost half of the planet. The amount of medication to fight depression is impressive. Everywhere, economic conditions signal that there will no longer be any job security. Pollution is eating out the planet's resources. I am not inventing this. All that adds to "fear" of the future, of insecurity, of so many things that are quite real. My question is what to do? Is becoming insensible to these world chaos the only solution? Indifference towards those who suffer while we think "when will this happen to me?". So I respectfully disagree with your point of view.
I don't like to quote others but this is a must:
"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. Mark Twain"
Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here
http://www.selfhelpcollective.com/top-10-fears.html
We do not need courage to walk on the floor of our houses. But on the top of skyscraper, yeah. So, to be courageous is to live with excess of fear. This is another thought of Mark Twain.
Dear Lilliana, those who are awake are few. The sleepers are not thinking about the war devastating millions of lives in the middle east, or about endocrine disruptors, or desertification, or the current mass extinction of about 40% of all species, nor about the melting ice caps. They are watching Netflix, buying unneeded shoes and jeans made by slaves, watching Donald Trump bring about government of the violent by the idiotic.
They are not living in fear. They are not living at all. In the words that Michelangelo gave to his sculpture "Night"
Caro m’è’l sonno, più l’esser di sasso,
mentre che ’l danno el la vergogna dura:
non veder, non sentir, m’è ventura;
però non mi destar, deh! parla basso.
Dear to me is sleep, dearer still to be of stone,
while hurt and shame abound
Not to see, not to feel is my fortune
So do not wake me – please, speak softly.
Ah! But I would argue that they are not thinking about war or disease or natural disasters or Donald Trump, not because they are not living in fear, but because they fear to think of those things. How many people do not think about their own inevitable death because to do so is to fear? Personal death scares the Hades out of me, therefore I chose to ignore it, to not think that which will arouse fear.
Orville Prescott said it best, "It is better to whistle past the graveyard than to shut one's eyes and scream."
Dear all, thank you for these collaborations. I need time to let them sink in. I am still reading and thinking.
Best regards, Lilliana
Relevant quotes from:
https://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/ojs/index.php/tlg/article/view/31/35
Folk and fairy tales of the oral tradition have provided a vehicle for sharing caution, fears, and values, while entertaining adults and children with fantasy.
Tales of monsters eating children, parents beating their young, and witches putting spells and curses on beautiful maidens are only a few of the many fantastical examples of violence, cruelty, and fear evident in folk tales. In some tales the purpose was to instil caution while others demonstrate or grow out of forms of discipline administered to children in the past. "In groups, children encounter existential challenges that we also battle with in adult life: betrayal, intrigues, overcoming fear, feuds, quarrels and jealousy. They are faced with the ugly sides of mankind but also learn to mobilize capabilities in order to deal with these dark forces." (Guggenbuhl 7-8)
The cautionary folk tale can be traced to cultures all over the world and in each instance fear is used to warn children of certain dangers. For instance, children are warned of the threat of being kidnapped in Native American folklore by "Basket Woman," a cackling ogress who creeps up on children when they are out past their bedtimes. She whacks their heads with a cane, collects the bodies in her basket, and later drops them in a pot of boiling water to cook for dinner. As with most folk tales, in the end, the victims triumph through cleverness and a little bit of luck, and manage to escape from the ogress who ends up melting away in the boiling pot. (Livo xxv) What is remarkable about this tale and others like it is that variants of the story exist or have existed in cultures all around the world almost simultaneously—which demonstrates that protecting children is a universal concern.
Bruno Bettelheim's examination of folk and fairy tales concludes that any violence or fear found in a majority of tales is quickly countered by forces of good. "[I]n fairy tales evil is as omnipresent as virtue. In practically every fairy tale good and evil are given body in the form of some figures and their actions, as good and evil are omnipresent in life and the propensities for both are present in every man. It is this duality which poses the moral problem, and requires the struggle to solve it." (8-9) By presenting good and bad in a balanced way, children will more likely achieve independent judgment.
============
2000 years ago, during the time of the Roman empire, pandemics, wars and famine routinely caused a variation of population of about 30% , or more, and the survivors managed it without blowing their tops. Fast forward to the Blubonic plague, in the 1400s, Europe lost over 40% of the population DIED. Today, unless it is Syria, which is a hell hole, most of global population is NOT endangered as to deadly life ending violence. Part of the reason for the over hyped fear factor, is due to the absence of really deadly daily threats, to existence in the present population, so to a degree, people make up scenarios. I suspect part of this is in our neuro architecture, I.e. to keep us stimulated and active. IMO the fear epidemic is to a certain degree a made up fantasy game, to keep our fight or flight neuro structure activated and in use. This reminds me strongly of how the Romans went to the Colloseum, for deadly duels in the aftermath of violent wars which formed the Roman empire. The flip side to this absence of violence, is that the make believe has unintended consequences. IMO From 1760 to 1839, the Ching Dynasty had an absence of full scale wars which denigrated their military capacity dramatically., The Ching Military in the 18th century was fully comparable to the European powers. By the 19th , it became a joke. But there was highly choreographed threats of violence, which became almost foppish, in their play acting. We also, in the US realm have, after the cold war the phenomena of post modern fantasy ships like the Zumault which do not do squat for security but which make us "feel better" although they are militarily useless. I am saying that the over hyped fear factors, and ritualistic kow towing to the needs to keep our neuro architecture active, even if daily violence is not part of our daily repetoire.
Dear Ivo and Louis, I am delighted to see that we share favorite writers: Montaigne and Bettelheim. Montaigne's Journal de Voyage and, in general, his essais, aresome of the wildest and more contemporary works I've ever read. I feel that Montaigne is my contemporary. Bruno Bettelheim's The Uses of Enchantment, his study on fairy tales, is a jewel of intelligence, maybe matched only by Maria Tatar's The Hard Facts os of Grimms' Fairy Tales. Yes, fantasy and travel, the old man and the child, are cultural sites for the fear of death. Both of your beautifully tight and accurate comments are a joy to read. Thank you!
Dear Andrew, thank you for commenting on the artificial factors that create an artificial violence that ends in a baseless fear. The challenge is that fear is intense whether or not it has real motives!
Best regards, Lilliana
For me, fear is the feeling that stops one from taking action, making decision, expressing what s/he wants to. Fear is the emotion one may have of being negatively judged and being looked down.
Dear Masoumeh, your perception of it is quite accurate. Thank you!
Best regards, Lilliana
Andrew,
In the very secure countries , you are right, the average citizen are not exposed to real imminent dangers. And I think this cause a reaction that is similar to allergic reactions that are caused by living into too sterile and clean environment. The immune system is never used in such clean environment and all the hygiene custom then people start having over reactions to most tiny allergen. So we lack so much exposition to real fearsome dangers. Some simply start to live wreklessly and so really experience fears that they miss. Or other get involved in extreme sports. But we can substitute real immediat danger that are not present in very secure societies by getting concerned by the real problem of others, by the real deep problem in the long run of our societies and many other real scary long term concern and then experiencing again an healty fear, the fear of the child getting conscious of the scary bigger world.
Thinking about this, perhaps the phenomenon to be explored is not fear, which is a state of arousal that is exactly the opposite to the state of complacency we see all around us, but what Charcot called "a purposeful narrowing of consciousness" in his seminal description of the cardinal symptom of hysteria (now called, rather dully, dissociative and conversion disorders).
This purposeful narrowing of consciousness is the motor of "civilisation", allowing us to drink our coffee without touching the lives of those who grew the beans, the thousands of kilometres of polluting travel that led it to our table, the wages of the immigrant barista who laid it before us.
The problem is that if you drink your coffee filtered thus – filtered, that is, of its connections with the wider world – it somehow loses its ability to astonish.
Dear Román, thank you for your insight and your mention of Charcot. La Salpetrière was, definitively, an important laboratory of human "passions". Charcot's photographs of hysteria are truly harrowing, But the fact is that, apart from fear of the unknown, there is also fear that can be accounted for in reality: war, homelessness, joblessness, science's waywardness (for example, the DDT issue and the Zyka virus, for which Brazilians are terrified). We are very ignorant of what threatens us nowadays, so we fear "without focus". That has nothing to do with our civilized disassociation with the coffee-bean harvester. I personally know my coffee harvester. Our is one of the best coffees in the world, still used in the Vatican as the coffee of choice. Granted, I do not know the person who assembled my computer in Asia, but I do not fear that person.
Best regards, Lilliana
Dear @Lilliana, I am free to bring here some former, but very good threads about fear where I have posted my answers. There are many good answers there.
https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_Is_Fear_How_Can_We_Define_It_How_Can_We_Harness_It
https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_fear
https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_basic_difference_between_fear_and_phobia
Dear Ljubomir, thank you for the links. I will look them up. :-)
Best regards, Lilliana
Marcel, right now as I read this, I am seated under my bougainvilleas sipping a splendid cup of Puerto Rican coffee. It was your idea. Thank you!!!
Best regards, Lilliana
Lilliana Ramos-Collado
What is fear?
Fear is a form of pain that arises from an conscious or subconscious expectation of a pain in the future. Fear is thus supposed to motivate us to find ways to avoid this expected undesirable future scenario. Fear exist for all mammals because al of them have a cortex which is their expectation engine. If your neighbor has a dog and that dog is indifferent to you and that one day you violently kick that dog. In the future each time this dog will see you from afar, this dog will experience fear and do his best ot stay away from you. This dog has no explicit recollection of these events but has a built-in expectation of someone looking and smelling like you that will translate into consciousness as fear and from there will avoid that fearfull human.
Fear is apparently a universal emotion; all persons consciously or unconsciously face fear of some sort.
Fear is a feeling induced by perceived danger or threat that occurs in certain types of organisms, which causes a change in metabolic and organ functions and ultimately a change in behavior, such as fleeing, hiding or freezing from perceived traumatic events.
Fear in human beings may occur in response to a specific stimulus occurring in the present, or in anticipation or expectation of a future threat perceived as a risk to body or life.
As Emerson said, “Make a habit throughout your life of doing the things you fear. If you do the thing you fear, the death of fear is certain.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear
http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/what-is-fear-and-how-to-handle-it/
World’s Top 10 fears
Top 10 things people fear in this world. The list appeared as follows:
Fear of Public Speaking
Fear of Death
Fear of Poverty
Fear of Failure
Fear of Rejection
Fear of Loneliness
Fear of Heights
Fear of Drowning
Fear of talking to people of opposite sex
Fear of the Dark
http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/what-is-fear-and-how-to-handle-it/
The fear of feedback doesn’t come into play just during annual reviews. At least half the executives with whom we’ve worked never ask for feedback. Many expect the worst: heated arguments, impossible demands, or even threats of dismissal
https://hbr.org/2003/04/fear-of-feedback
Fear is an adaptive emotion. Part of its present day over emphasis is due to cognitive fixation upon symbolic issues, via viral memes as seen on the internet
Dear Louis, there is a big difference between a dog's fear a human fear: ours is, in general, symbolic. Dogs no not fear failure, or poverty, or talking to girls. The brain may communicate a reaction, but cannot detect the exact contents of fear, what caused it. Knowing the workings of the brain is never enough to understand a feeling.
Best regards,
Lilliana
I fear medical needles. I cannot logically tell you why. To overcome that fear may require to find the root. Even if I logically knew why, it does not make sense why it would deter the fear. There is the fear produced by not knowing but even with something that is known, still does not change the facts of what it is. Lying to oneself may not work either because you know it is a lie and it is only meant to comfort you. Irrational fears take more than training, and brain rewiring. To say that the fear would leave completely may be too optimistic.
When I am exposed to medical needles, my anxiety sky rockets. I hold still because I know moving could hurt but my tension is heightened so it hurts anyways. Breathing techniques are meant to relax but to tell someone with a phobia to breathe wont necessarily make them relax. If anything I start crying and shaking. It doesn't matter how many times I have had vaccinations, had tests done, been pricked, or had dental work done. They frighten me.
Lilliana,
The expectation of a dog only concern his immediate future while our expectation may be about a far away future , our death or even the far futur of humanity. The difference is mainly in our capacity of expectation. But I expect the feeling itself ''fear'' to be the same.
''Knowing the workings of the brain is never enough to understand a feeling.''
I agree.
Fear is a double pointed sword . It can help us survive or freeze us to irrationality. My personal experience is Fear makes us to prepare for eventualities. It does not mean eventual success , but Fear coupled with imagination and survival instincts is a powerful tool which increases the probability of survival. Mankind's response to climate change for example ,springs from fear of extinction of the human race. It is doubtful if mankind can survive without fear (ie anticipation of danger/ failure). Fear is also coupled with the fact that humans are not omnipotent ie lack of complete knowledge . So it is that many "enlightened " humans have as stated in the question overcome fear .. but this I think is beyond science .and becomes a question of belief .
Cheers
Dear Lilliana,
One of my favourite personalities on RG-Nelson Orringer started this thread.May be,it will be useul for you.https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_Is_Fear_How_Can_We_Define_It_How_Can_We_Harness_It
Dear Han Ping Fung,
Many thanks
I think it's important to know why we feel fear? and how to liberate from fear.
Please, kindly follow this link:
https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_could_we_to_liberate_from_fear?pli=1&loginT=LsaBr8T2Un-NRTcHV
Analyses have provided evidence that the sensed presence is a common concomitant of sleep paralysis that is particularly associated with visual, auditory and tactile hallucinations, as well as intense fear. Sleep paralysis itself is a conscious state of involuntary immobility occurring prior to falling asleep or immediately upon wakening. An episode may last from a few seconds to several minutes. Although individuals in this state are unable to make gross bodily movements, they are able to open their eyes and to perceive and subsequently report on external events
http://www.ovni.ch/temoign/images/paralysie-sommeil.pdf
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