Everyone knows SOME form of PAIN and SUFFERING
from birth, the first less-than-comfortable moment
But EVEN WITHOUT IT — one has INSTALLED FEAR OF UNKNOWN,
as well as prior FEAR templates (e.g. spiders)
=basic self-preservation instinct
Ergo one HAS FEAR, from very early point
That fear is, preferably — OFFSET by growing RESILIENCE
Thus, as you get more and more experienced — given FEAR is proven LESS SCARY, as you DEAL with that problem
However, if horrible things keep happening to you, and at faster rate than you can deal with them — you’ll only become MORE fearful
When there’s a lot of FEAR that has not yet been HANDLED — it is likely to morph into some kind of EMBODIMENT, PERSONIFICATION, CONCENTRATION
Of course children do it:
— with all kinds of fear of SCARY things, scary-looking things, boogeyman, etc
— fear of the DARK = perfect embodiment of unknown
…which, by the way, is clearly extra-cautiousness, in lieu of experience informing how that scary looking tree is just a fucking tree
…but so do ADULTS:
— projecting various DEVILS
— scary CABALS
— DOOMERISM
— and just plain hostility and distrust of others, masquerading as realism or scepticism
— etc
And then, of course, even as we get more encouraged — we still find a degree of fascination with those SYMBOLS…
HORROR, SCARY STORIES, CRIME, monsters, etc
For it nicely EMBODIES the UNKNOWN TOO
Which always has a bit of a SCARY EDGE
…which we, COUNTERPHOBICALLY, want to challenge
For again, the instinct to TAP into UNKNOWN is innately, AND reasonably, present too — since unknown contains not only dreads — but also lucrative rewards
Counterphobic attitude is precisely consequence of that
Why does it all matter?
Obviously to know how FEAR works
So that you can work with it
And understand the world is driven by it
Fear’s just a system
Obviously not perfectly predictable and manageable, but nevertheless not entirely uncontrollable either
The very understanding of FEAR is itself the kind of understanding we spoke of, that increases resilience, and mitigates fear
Once fear happens, it’s already often too late
But BEFORE it happens — you are equipped with knowledge and reason and planning — to PREPARE
Prepare what you can indeed
Then fear happens anyway, whether it’s a snake, new job, procrastination, admitting that you were wrong, or accepting that you’re a fucking piece of shit
If it overwhelms you — you take a step back
Then go extremely into it, emotionally and rationally,
striving to understand it most profoundly,
and then maybe you’ve an instinct to toy with it, counterphobically,
if you don’t — you DEVISE that situation anyway, you face it anyway, gradually
So that you can build resilience
And then you go do what you wanted to do, YET again,
Maybe this time the fear won’t utterly paralyse you
Oh and often you don’t even know fear has paralysed you
It’s because it’s so deep at that point that you’re not even registering it — you’re just a dear in the headlights
Don’t be a deaf in the headlights
Understand fear, and work with it