— Civilization —

The Human Connection To Conquer Fear

Editorial Note

Fear is a warning sign, an inexorable beacon signaling from our physiological system that something requires immediate attention

People who have been capitulated by the psychological aberration called stress and constantly living under its shadow would find it bemused that such a thing doesn’t exist. It was not until the late 1930’s that stress entered the lexicons of medical literature and became classified as a disease which, 500 years earlier was confined only to the field of metallurgy, the extraction and contortion of metals. Modern research into this phenomenon by worlds leading medical universities have made pathbreaking discovery into the pathology of stress, especially the works of world-renowned psychologist Dr. Robert Maurer at the elitist UCLA School of Medicine have concluded that what people define as stress is actually fear. We have misconstrued fear for stress and have built impregnable fortresses around it and thereby failing to exercise our body’s natural defenses against fear for mastering it. 

This epistemological confusion in substituting stress for fear has dangerous ramifications for the holistic health of an individual. Fear is a warning sign, an inexorable beacon signaling from our physiological system that something requires immediate attention. Therefore, courage essentially is neither an absence of fear nor of eliminating it, but conquering it through acknowledging fear as a natural response of our body when we encounter obstacles. Fear is a free gift to mankind that helps him overcome resistance and challenges he will likely face in the journey of life. The critical thing is to have the right attitude towards fear when it arises as an internal alarm system. Many would get frustrated when fear manifests, often regarding it as an unwelcome intruder into the peaceful rhythm of life and in the process, dreading it. With unfailing regularity, most people succumb to fear by a lack of understanding of its critical role in human neuro-biological system, which is actually awakening and propelling us to take decisive counteractions against occasional roadblocks. Fear is a signboard to take an alternative route, without which, the destination becomes unreachable, overwhelming us by the perilous circumstances left unattended and a subsequent course correction not executed. A negative approach to fear either by evading it or trying to circumvent it rather than recognizing it as a call to constructive action builds stress and anxiety in our system. What is conceived as stress, anxiety and depression by the society in common parlance is nothing but the inadequate and ineffective response of our body to the sensation of fear. 

People who are successful in jobs, health and relationships rarely use the word stress and despite setbacks and adversities have an effective blueprint for managing fear. They consider fear as normal part of their life that requires judicious decision making and timely response to its wake-up call. Ralph Waldo Emerson, a pre-eminent American philosopher and public intellectual writes, “He who is not every day conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life”. Michael Jordan, inarguably the greatest basketball player of all time, known for his mesmerizing slam dunk and rigorous, non-compromising and grueling training sessions with an insatiable drive for perfection addresses his fears as, “never say never, because limits like fears, are often just an illusion”. A worthwhile endeavor is to try doing one thing every day that scares you. Successful people perceive fear as a necessary gift and they emerged victorious every time was due to the fact that they embraced their fears without prejudices and consequently what they did to their fears. Only when you consider fear as natural and healthy, you could formulate a healthy response to it. The more you are intimidated by fear, the greater are your chances to develop stress and become prisoners of anxiety and victims of depression. 

The human fear center resides in the mid-brain called the amygdala, which, is part of the defensive mechanism of fight or flee in human evolutionary journey. Though modern homo sapiens are devoid of the same existential threat of their atavistic ancestors like the probable attack of a lion or of an ambush from another human lurking in the savannahs, he is exposed to a different set of fears which, automatically triggers the fight or flee response in the amygdala. When amygdala is activated, it diminishes the activity of the thinking brain, the cortex. People who are constantly challenged by their fears and their failure of developing an effective fear response system severely impedes their rational thinking process that has to be slow, methodical and structured. A rational mind is the root of intelligence and both are the foundations for acquiring and developing skills that lead to achievements. The one who is constantly in a fight or flee mode of brain activity in the amygdala achieves less than someone who by conquering their fears are able to predominantly engage the thinking cortex. 

So what is the effective response mechanism to fear by humans? Delving into the animal and avian world provide striking patterns to their natural response to fear. A snake attacks, lion charges, rabbits burrow, birds fly away, deer escapes, cats hide and culminating in the chimpanzees in the Great Chain of Being with which, humans have the closest resemblance to their emotional brains. Chimpanzees display unique behavioral traits from other animals at prospect of fear. They run into other chimpanzees for support. A similar social experiment could be performed on humans. When a little son or a daughter in their sleep has a nightmare, they often run into the arms of the parents sleeping next room. The crying child is immediately reassured of his/her safety when the mother gives a tight hug, explaining with a soft inflection of voice that it is just a nightmare, an odd dream and there is nothing to be feared. And invariably, the child returns back to sleep.

Seeking each other is the natural response of human beings in the event of fear. But humans in the technology driven 21^st century world have to do soul-searching and deep introspection as to whether we have eschewed this critical trait for alleviation of our inner fears and fighting our own demons. The contemporary society places a premium on self-reliance and individualism, especially in western societies where people confine their fears and anxieties to themselves and suffer in silence. Pouring out your heart and venting emotions is often perceived as a sign of weakness rather than strength in defiance to the concept of machoism and strength of personality. As a result, the natural, healthy response system of reaching out to fellow humans is weakened to the point of extinction and we see a world of drug, alcohol and opioid addiction and abuse to combat fear and uncertainty plaguing humans. Stress induced psychosomatic diseases are proliferating, stress clinics mushrooming and society is thrown into a whirlpool of desolation and despair. Wrong perceptions of personality have caused a domino effect, a deteriorating chain of events that has led humans to wither away in their self-imposed prisons and impregnable cocoons. 

Thomas Alva Edison, one of the greatest inventors ever, was asked on his 80^th birthday celebration, which of his inventions he cherished the most. He held 1000 patents at that time and his answer surprised many. It wasn’t the electric light bulb, the phonograph, motion picture camera or plethora of other path-breaking inventions but he merely said the concerted efforts of a team in his laboratory was the greatest contributor to his success. It is enlightening to note that when Edison disbanded the lab and his 13 collaborators, he never invented anything again.

History is strewn with anecdotes of human collaboration and support that has engendered magnificent outcomes. Legendary painters, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, cited as the pioneers of Cubism copied each other. C.S Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien who wrote Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of The Rings respectively, claimed they could never have finished their stellar literature without each other’s irreplaceable assistance. Steve Jobs collaborated deeply with Sir Jonathan Ive to churn out scintillating Apple products that had exclusivity in design and thereby mass appeal. Reaching out to fellow humans is quintessential to being human. Harnessing emotions through mastering fear is indispensable for humans’ journey to success in an unforgiving world. The stimulus of fear is natural and much needed for navigating the tortuous waters of life. But, it is the failure of a healthy response to fear by seeking out human intervention that paralyses minds and torments people. A Latin Proverb powerfully encapsulates the role of a sharp, sane and lucid mind, “A man’s mind is the man himself”.