But I did get scared a lot. Of absolutely nothing. When we were getting into line for recess, my heart would start pounding and I'd feel a hollowness in my stomach. I would be afraid to move, sure that something was about to go terribly wrong. And I got this random fear multiple times a week, so I knew that nothing was going to happen. No matter how many times I assured myself that everything was fine, I couldn't overcome the physical feeling of fear. For me, it was too strong a feeling for rationalization.
Descartes championed rationalism, while Hume believed in sensory experience. Neither philosophy seems perfectly accurate for me. All the rationalization couldn't make my emotions any less affecting, while accepting my fear never made it seem more real. All I could ever think was: This doesn't make any sense!
Your post was very interesting and I could relate to your fear of going to recess. I spoke to me metaphorically as a way to describe your afraid of the outside world in general, not just recess. My knowledge of fear is that is AN EMOTION. It is also a function to remind you and your seperation from other people and the rest of the world. Nobody can escape fear because if you ELIMINATE FEAR, YOU WILL ELIMINATE LIFE altogether. Every one is fearful of different things from time to time and this is completely natural. The only way to conquer fear is ultimately facing it and acknowledging it. YOU EITHER FALL PREY TO FEAR OR YOU CONQUER IT.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the input! I like what you said about fear of the outside world in general, because I can definitely relate to that. Even though I've mostly stopped having mini-panic attacks, I'm very nervous about putting myself out there, and really doing anything. I can reason myself out of participating in just about any activity. But fear should not prevent us from experiencing life.
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