True Fears...

[Steven]

Ok, I think I see where you coming from.. and I think I agree. To an extent. We do have, with our great big brains the tools to choose our own path... but the fear is still there driing those decisions. We just weigh the possible outcomes and choose the path we are willing to deal with.

right.....exactly. I liken it (sorta) to that battle that the Apostle Paul often talks about - the flesh versus the spirit, or the sinful nature versus the divine....he is not always talking about typical good versus bad....

I'm sort of at a stage in my life where I'm trying to combine two different approaches....it is not a natural process for me to take the time to weigh thigns out, I tend to make decisions very quickly and respond very quickly, Im sort of hardwired that way. But there are definately times when some pondering could be of use. I used to think that it was because I'd been thru enough to not be scared of anything anymore (yeah I actually beleived that shit). But now I'm recognizing that in reality what I'm sometimes scared of is indecision and wasted opportunity.

[Scales]

I would have to say a little bit of everything, since it's possible to be scared of anything and everything.

However, I fear death the most, because it's not rational for anyone to really see death on friendly terms, it goes against self-conservation. Death is kind of the enemy of life in a scientific sense, and all culture that portrays the acceptance of death really goes to prove that the 'evil', negativity, and 'darkness' within the duality humanity thrives on, has it's own equally unique value and beauty.

I do not believe in God, religion, or spirituality. So my view of life is that once it's over, it's probably over, and there is nothing left but a body without conscious. In this regard, my views are extremely dark and even horribly depressing.

I can however, find positive meaning in the deepest amount of ugliness and suffering with logic and rationality, and have done so many times to keep my sanity. I don't deny death is extremely terrifying in itself, or that the sensation of dying is a very deep, consuming fear - which I have experienced. I would rather suffer in permanent negativity with scientific-based ideas and great thinkers as guides, than live any other way.

[bean]

I'm afraid that the population is getting dumber. It's scary. We need smart people, and they are disappearing. We don't need rocket scientists everywhere, but for the love of g-d there are some dumb morons running around. Every day I'm amazed at the stupidity level of some people. I'm serious.

[phee]

I'm afraid that the population is getting dumber. It's scary. We need smart people, and they are disappearing. We don't need rocket scientists everywhere, but for the love of g-d there are some dumb morons running around. Every day I'm amazed at the stupidity level of some people. I'm serious.

[torn asunder]

I'm sorry Mike, but you are out of your depth here.

For one... some people choose to live thier lives in such a way as to make a lasting impact on generations to come. Living for others is what makes them truly happy. Who are you to belittle that choice? Why is a self centered life the only valid one? Doies invalidating other peoples life choices somehow make yours bertter?

and the second... Your example doesn't float. You last thoughts will prolly never be "I'm scared". no matter what the situation. Accepting that you can do nothing to stop an inevitable death does not equate to over coming fear. i say this because as long as there is a way, a chance... you will keep fighting to live... Thats fear. I know, you don't believe that... and thats your choice to do. There are a great many people who study human emotions and thier base afects on oour everyday lives that say you are DEAD wrong. Fear is our most basic and eepest set survival tool. Just like every other animal on this planet.

i wouldn't say out of my depth, maybe just that i don't have enough first-hand experience. i wasn't trying to imply that one must center their lives only on themselves, rather that to truly be able to make anyone else happy, one has to be able to love themselves first and foremost, since acting from a center of love is the key to showing true love to others, (as opposed to paying lip-service)which will manifest in ways that make others happy, and also make you happy as well.

sure, i can see why my example might be poor - you make a good point. maybe i could make my point better by stating that, since i've gone through those experiences, i no longer fear death coming from that, nor death in general, since it will inevitably, and perhaps even unexpectedly, happen. i've also gone through times where i honestly didn't care if i lived or died, and behaved in a manner that put me in prime situations for death to happen - it didn't happen, which tells me myriad things, but at no point was i afraid of it. wheni was younger, yes i did fear it, so i know that my feelings have changed in that respect.

i do think one can apply logic and personal introspection/meditation/prayer/what-have-you to address and overcome fears. primal fear is based on things that will hurt/kill us, because instictually, we as a species, want to live. in our current society, this doesn't necessarily apply anymore. other fears (non-primal, if you will) are centered in society and upbringing, and i also believe that one can overcome these through the aforementioned "meditation".

i whole-heartedly believe that fear does not need to be a part of anyone's life, in modern times. i think that fear stems from unresolved issues within the individual. i know i still have issues myself, but i also know that fearing them (allowing my emotional center to over-ride my ability to control myself) is in no way productive, and will eventually hamper my efforts at living a full, happy life. now, because i've experienced fear before, i do know i don't want to experience it, so yes, i will do what i can to avoid situations that expose me to certain things, until such time as i'm ready to face them. i don't feel that that, in itself, is acting out of fear, i think that it's thinking things through, and acting in my best interests.

not sure if any of this makes sense to anyone - just thought i'd throw it out there. thanks, mark, for the post, it got me to (re) thinking things, and i appreciate anything that can help me do that. life should be constantly re-examined, or else we'll never grow...

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Mike, I think we might be best served with a conversation about what is and is not fear. More things are "fear" than you would think. We also have to get rid of the stigma of fear. Fear is not always a nagative emotion.. infact, I would put forward that it is in most cases a positive emotion.

I mean... you say that in this day and age we don't need fear. I find that to be very... short sighted. We all know the high voltage kills. So we avoid touching anything with high voltage in it. Most of us have never felt the jolt of 100+volts. We do this out of fear backed by knowledge that our fear is justified.

Fear makes us think twice. Walking in the woods, lost and starving cause we lost our GPS and map... We find berrys... lots and lots of them... we rush to them in hungar and Fear stays our hand long enough to think... "nothing else eats them" Poisen. Fear is needed.

[GothicRavenGoddess (3)]

i wouldn't say out of my depth, maybe just that i don't have enough first-hand experience. i wasn't trying to imply that one must center their lives only on themselves, rather that to truly be able to make anyone else happy, one has to be able to love themselves first and foremost, since acting from a center of love is the key to showing true love to others, (as opposed to paying lip-service)which will manifest in ways that make others happy, and also make you happy as well.

sure, i can see why my example might be poor - you make a good point. maybe i could make my point better by stating that, since i've gone through those experiences, i no longer fear death coming from that, nor death in general, since it will inevitably, and perhaps even unexpectedly, happen. i've also gone through times where i honestly didn't care if i lived or died, and behaved in a manner that put me in prime situations for death to happen - it didn't happen, which tells me myriad things, but at no point was i afraid of it. wheni was younger, yes i did fear it, so i know that my feelings have changed in that respect.

i do think one can apply logic and personal introspection/meditation/prayer/what-have-you to address and overcome fears. primal fear is based on things that will hurt/kill us, because instictually, we as a species, want to live. in our current society, this doesn't necessarily apply anymore. other fears (non-primal, if you will) are centered in society and upbringing, and i also believe that one can overcome these through the aforementioned "meditation".

i whole-heartedly believe that fear does not need to be a part of anyone's life, in modern times. i think that fear stems from unresolved issues within the individual. i know i still have issues myself, but i also know that fearing them (allowing my emotional center to over-ride my ability to control myself) is in no way productive, and will eventually hamper my efforts at living a full, happy life. now, because i've experienced fear before, i do know i don't want to experience it, so yes, i will do what i can to avoid situations that expose me to certain things, until such time as i'm ready to face them. i don't feel that that, in itself, is acting out of fear, i think that it's thinking things through, and acting in my best interests.

not sure if any of this makes sense to anyone - just thought i'd throw it out there. thanks, mark, for the post, it got me to (re) thinking things, and i appreciate anything that can help me do that. life should be constantly re-examined, or else we'll never grow...

It made sence to me, and I agree (mostly). And the parts that i don't agree on, well, its not that i disagree, its points are just not in sinc with me. They are for you. I hope THAT makes sence. Anyways. I don't fear anything. Not deep down. I don't want to be hurt again, but i don't fear it. I don't want to die in a great deal of pain, but i don't fear it. I don't want to live on the street (again), but... i don't fear it. You see where i'm going with this? There are things that I don't want to happen to me, but if they do, i am ready for it *grabs her ax and mace, and stands in a worrior pose*. Bad things happen, that's inevitable. I don't like it, but i don't fear them, as they come. the fears i posted earlier, as I have said, are petty, and unrealistic. I guess i adopted them as a fears, because its the human thing to do. For someone who loves unconditionally, i really do lack a lot of emotion, sometimes. I can be cold and heartless, but i try not to be... i think that i can identify with the character charlie, in The Long Kiss Goodnight. Not the charlie at the end, but the charlie as she first starts to manifest: cold and calculating... anyways... don't go running screaming to the hills.. you have nothing to fear, from me

Edited October 26, 2007 by GothicRavenGoddess

[phee]

Mike, I think we might be best served with a conversation about what is and is not fear. More things are "fear" than you would think. We also have to get rid of the stigma of fear. Fear is not always a nagative emotion.. infact, I would put forward that it is in most cases a positive emotion.

I mean... you say that in this day and age we don't need fear. I find that to be very... short sighted. We all know the high voltage kills. So we avoid touching anything with high voltage in it. Most of us have never felt the jolt of 100+volts. We do this out of fear backed by knowledge that our fear is justified.

Fear makes us think twice. Walking in the woods, lost and starving cause we lost our GPS and map... We find berrys... lots and lots of them... we rush to them in hungar and Fear stays our hand long enough to think... "nothing else eats them" Poisen. Fear is needed.

I like dis post also

[torn asunder]

Mike, I think we might be best served with a conversation about what is and is not fear. More things are "fear" than you would think. We also have to get rid of the stigma of fear. Fear is not always a nagative emotion.. infact, I would put forward that it is in most cases a positive emotion.

I mean... you say that in this day and age we don't need fear. I find that to be very... short sighted. We all know the high voltage kills. So we avoid touching anything with high voltage in it. Most of us have never felt the jolt of 100+volts. We do this out of fear backed by knowledge that our fear is justified.

Fear makes us think twice. Walking in the woods, lost and starving cause we lost our GPS and map... We find berrys... lots and lots of them... we rush to them in hungar and Fear stays our hand long enough to think... "nothing else eats them" Poisen. Fear is needed.

i suppose the most likely thing going on here is that we're each defining fear differently, which would account for our disparate views on the matter. to me, fear is "crippling/debilitating/irrational" and prevents one from acting rationally. anything less is a feeling of caution/wariness. not to put words in your mouth, (please correct me if i'm wrong) but it seems to me that you're attempting to boil things down to "love/fear/indifference", maybe without the indifference added - you know, caution is based in fear, wariness pessimism, etc - all fear-based... i tend to think of things in more gradient ways - levels of emotion, rather than "on/off", and to me, fear is reserved for the most extreme end of that emotional direction. since i don't really ever hit that extreme, i feel that i don't really experience fear anymore. caution/wariness/etc, yes, but not fear. does that make more sense?

[jadnifer]

Honestly I think my only true fear is having no one in my life and dying utterly alone...

That....and lawn gnomes!!!!!!!!

[GothicRavenGoddess (3)]

That....and lawn gnomes!!!!!!!!

[jadnifer]

Im serious!! Lawn gnomes scare the crap out of me!

[phee]

[GothicRavenGoddess (3)]

its still cute.... and that travelocity comercial doesn't help either, huh?

how do you watch it? and please don't think that im trying to make fun of you.

That was mean, Phee...*waves her finger at him*

Edited October 26, 2007 by GothicRavenGoddess

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Mike.. i think you got it. I am talking of all the greys areas... because ZI am talking about the BASE emotion of fear... that which underlies the other emotions.

[Shade Everdark]

Would you like to know what really scares me? What keeps me up at night? Very well, then, children, gather 'round, and I shall tell you.

What truly scares me, is the opening montage of Amelie, wherein is described her sexual life. You know what I'm talking about, yes, the scene where she's in bed with some random guy, and she's smiling....*shudder*

[Fierce Critter]

BOTH me & Jon dying and nobody taking care to give the cats to good homes.

Senility.

Cancer.

Those are the true fears. As for phobias, pretty much spiders, and large bugs. There are exceptions - I can handle preying mantis', a few others.

I generally only fear that which I cannot control (with the possible exception of death). I admit I haven't bothered reading all the big posts prior to this that are going back and forth about the definition of or necessity/controllability of fear. But I generally don't fear things that can be dealt with in some way. I fear that which hits you and you can't do a thing about it. If I am going to get cancer, I can't do anything about that, so I am afraid of getting it. I cannot control senility, and I am terrified of being lost in my own brain/body.

I don't fear debt because there's always some way to make money. I don't fear being hurt because I'm generally cautious in things like driving, etc. If I get hurt, there are doctors and hospitals to help me.

I don't live without fear. But I don't live in a constant state of it, either.

[CandyQuackenbush]

BOTH me & Jon dying and nobody taking care to give the cats to good homes.

*tears up*

Thats a huge fear of mine is when you die, and you have beloved pets, what will happen to them? Will they be treated the same way I treated them? * i spoil my molly*

[Steven]

Mike.. i think you got it. I am talking of all the greys areas... because ZI am talking about the BASE emotion of fear... that which underlies the other emotions.

which is why I threw two different types of scriptural fear ideas at you Mark.....these thigns are sometiems hard to define and yet we "know" there is some sort of tangible truth to all of these perspectives.....Phee look what you started in saying that you were scared of shorts and preferred pants...

[Fierce Critter]

*tears up*

Thats a huge fear of mine is when you die, and you have beloved pets, what will happen to them? Will they be treated the same way I treated them? * i spoil my molly*

I need to take the time to type out detailed descriptions of each cat, with their traits & quirks, suggestions on who to keep together and who to rehome separately, etc. I think my family would be willing to do that for me. But I need to sit down and do it.

If I did, that fear also would mostly go away.

[CandyQuackenbush]

I need to take the time to type out detailed descriptions of each cat, with their traits & quirks, suggestions on who to keep together and who to rehome separately, etc. I think my family would be willing to do that for me. But I need to sit down and do it.

If I did, that fear also would mostly go away.

If anything happens, I'll take one. I am allergic to cats, but I love them. I'd rather take Claritin for the rest of my life then let a friend's pet go else where!

Deal?

You can have my hair falls.

[Fierce Critter]

If anything happens, I'll take one. I am allergic to cats, but I love them. I'd rather take Claritin for the rest of my life then let a friend's pet go else where!

Deal?

You can have my hair falls.

LOL! It's a DEAL!!

I actually think that once I do all this, I'm going to post a copy on here. I had already intended to give the detroitgothic.net web address to my family so they could contact people here to let them know what happened and to let DGN'ers know that there are kitties that need homes available.

God, this is so morbid. I'm upsetting myself now.

[CandyQuackenbush]

LOL! It's a DEAL!!

I actually think that once I do all this, I'm going to post a copy on here. I had already intended to give the detroitgothic.net web address to my family so they could contact people here to let them know what happened and to let DGN'ers know that there are kitties that need homes available.

God, this is so morbid. I'm upsetting myself now.

Would you like to see the nurse? Or maybe the Genie?

[Fierce Critter]

Would you like to see the nurse? Or maybe the Genie?

Only if I get some Candy to lick when the examination is over...

[CandyQuackenbush]

Only if I get some Candy to lick when the examination is over...

But you told me you wouldn't fuck me.... oh, wait, that can be different....