A Reader Writes... (Fear - Part 7)

In response to the posts on, “Fear,” a reader writes:

“Fear is not a response, it is an emotion. We choose a response to the emotion. The response may well be negative (we may cower, run away, look for the easy way out, look for a way to appease - even though we are right). On the other hand the response to fear may be positive: we become more determined, more methodical, and prudent to potential dangers.

From a scientific point of view, the human emotion of fear has been naturally selected, for it is an emotion all humans (and all other animals) possess. If it was selected, it is because it helps us survive (fight or flight, in the primal example). Don’t fear, ‘Fear.’ Respect fear, harness fear, train yourself to respond in positive manners to fear, and you will have harnessed a primal emotion. Take it beyond fight or flight and turn it into a tool to be methodical.

In military and law enforcement we are trained to expect tunnel vision in potential terminal situations. Fear causes the eyesight to be more acute (tunnel vision), hearing is more acute, and you can become stronger and faster. Or you can let the physiological effects paralyze you and then you may well come out the loser in a potentially life and death situation. This is why military and law enforcement operators train, train, and train. In education we do the same thing: let the fear make you think, work, and achieve. Hey, that sounds familiar!”

SC Response
You are circling back to how the discussion started. Don’t be ashamed of, or paralyzed by fear. Recognize fear and use it to you and your school’s advantage. And again, if you have yet to face duty based fear, ask yourself, "Have I ever made myself be the first to step into the breech?"

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn…