Do What You Fear

#fear #prageru #courage

Script:

What most prevents people from living a full life?

What most causes people to act irrationally?

Amazingly, they are both the same thing.

That thing is fear.

Two examples:

First, living a full life: People fear speaking in public, so they never do. People fear traveling to countries off the beaten track, so they never see some of the most beautiful and fascinating places in the world. People fear embarrassing themselves by making mistakes when speaking a foreign language, so they never learn to speak the language. People increasingly fear getting married or having children, two of life’s deepest experiences. People’s fear of failure prevents them from pursuing some of the things they most ache to do. The list is almost endless.

Second, acting irrationally: People fear flying despite the fact that flying is one of the safest things a person can do. Far more people are killed in accidents in their homes, crossing the street, or riding in a car than in commercial airplanes. Yet, they live in their homes, cross streets, and ride in cars without giving a thought to the possibility of getting killed. But because of their irrational fear of flying, they won’t fly or will do so very rarely. As a result, they see family members and friends who live far away less often than they would like, and they will never see almost any of the world.

During the Covid lockdowns, irrational fear kept many people indoors — often alone — and kept millions of children out of schools for two years. These in turn led to a dramatic increase in depression and suicide.

So, then, one of the most important questions in life is: “How do I conquer my fears?”

Here are two answers:

First, follow reason.

Second, do what you fear.

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