Fear Of Heights: Projections And Reflections

For fear to exist there must be an entity that projects fear and an entity that is in need of defending. One thing threatening the other. A duality. This type of duality is frequent in life. For there to be joy, there must be sadness. For there to be pleasure, there must be pain and sorrow. For there to be hope and courage, there must, likewise, be fear.

Fear is a universal emotion and just one of many emotions, within humans.

Although everyone responds differently to fear, it’s an emotion from which, fundamentally, no one escapes. It’s everywhere. It’s impossible to avoid fear in a world that revolves around it. There is no getting away from it; nowhere to run or hide because fear will find you.

It’s completely natural to feel a little anxious when you’re about to sit your exams, or when you’re getting ready to give a public speech. And, what seems like a fear for one person, might seem like a walk in the park for another.

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Our whole lives we’ve been listening to people, learning rules and the consequences of breaking these rules. As kids, failing to follow rules, in our house, would land us in trouble from our parents. In school, breaking the guidelines, results in meetings with parents and headteachers, phone calls home and, sometimes, even expulsions. And, failing to follow the rules in the place of work, would likely result in being dismissed. These are all major elements which compose fear.

This is how it all begins; how fear is born.

Fear lies within us; inside our consciousness. Nobody is born with fear, it is something which is developed as we grow. It is initiated by the brain as a safety measure to protect us from harm and threats. Some argue that it is a bad thing; that it stops us from achieving things, that it interferes with people’s ideas and ambitions, but this all due to the inability of people to challenge fear. To many, fear isn’t a major problem but when it becomes overpowering, then you are suffering from something much greater than, simply, fear: you are suffering from a phobia. To live your life in fear is not a wise thing to do. In some instances, it can be a significant factor to explain why some people do such monstrous and immoral things.

Have you ever heard of the phrase, “One man’s tool is another man’s weapon”? Well, in this instance, one man’s fear is another man’s weapon. Fear is a powerful tool, and, in the wrong hands, it can bring about chaos. It can be utilised effectively to manipulate humans because scared people will do anything they are told to do. Take, for instance, dictators; they use threats to force people to follow them. The people fear the consequences of disobeying. But sometimes people do things because they don’t fear the repercussions. Sometimes they can’t differentiate between what’s right and wrong. These are the people that take action because they have no fear.

Once fear hijacks your life then you can no longer live life to its fullest, because fear will be controlling and directing you. It can hinder one’s perception of life to the point where they think that living life in fear, is safer than living life to its maximum. However, if you learn to embrace fear, instead, then you can use it to get deeper into your aspirations. When you gain proficiency with regards to it, you can begin to carry on with your life as your actual self, as opposed to your ‘adapted self’. You can separate yourself completely from fear. Despite it still being ever present, you will be controlling it, rather than it controlling you.

Fear can also be one of the biggest motivators out there. Some people fear failing. This means that, in any case, any circumstance, the individual will try his best not to fail. Why? Because of his fear, obviously. He doesn’t want to live with the trepidation of failing something. Learn to use fear wisely, and it becomes the driver for all your goals and ambitions. It becomes the most powerful impulse of the mind.

There's a balance in fear. A spectrum. By no means am I suggesting that we remove all our fears because this would result in chaos. It would turn everyone mad. We would be taking risks all the time, endangering not only our lives, but also the lives of others in the process. However, what I am suggesting, is that you challenge the fears which hinder your success; your ability to achieve. Challenge the fears that affect you physically, mentally and emotionally.

The only way to remove fear is by facing it and conquering it. To rise beyond it. The way to achieve this, is through consistent exposure to the very thing that frightens you, for example, if this is a fear of heights, which for many people it is, then exposure to heights, over a period of time, will cause your mind to become familiar with it. The best part is the feeling you get after you know you have successfully conquered your fear because you know that, the next time you are in that situation, fear won’t influence you.

To conclude, perhaps not all fears should be challenged and embraced, as this evolutionary reaction is fabricated by our brilliant minds to protect us. Only the fear which limits us as individuals to act, achieve and succeed should be eliminated from our lives. As for the fears which prevent us from doing terrible, monstrous and irrational things, they ought to be left alone, as the world would go mad without them.