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THE REALITY OF FEAR
Marian Baltazar
Class of 1980, University of the Philippines
AB Political Science
We all have reactions to different situations that happen to us and have a lot of worries and fears in life, thus
the reality of fear is the most common, intriguing factor that comes to our mind thinking that something may
happen to us in the future. In ...that case, it clearly shows that fear is a mental process that sets a projection in
our mind that tries to predict the future. It’s something that hasn’t happened yet and therefore, it is just a
fantasy of our mind and not actually a fact. Although we have come into a realization that we all experience
problems and pains and that we are all subjected to the discomforts of this life that we have right now.
Everybody has the fear of discomfort that leads them to a goal of trying to find a way to end it and discover a
way out of it.
As a matter of fact, be it realistic or not, fear is an uncomfortable feeling. The irony lies in the fact that it should
work to give us comfort and yet it is uncomfortable itself. If we simply let fear override us, then we will be at a
standstill, making us completely helpless. Some of us are afraid of irrational things whereas they do not really
pose as a threat or a danger to us. Take for instance the fear of spiders, the fear of open spaces or the fear of
confined spaces and some other fears for that matter. We sometimes make our life too difficult because of
these delusions that take over our normal, rational mind.
This feeling of fear called Paranoia is simply an exaggeration of what our mind can conceive and this forces our
rational mind to rule over and even control our emotions. In reality, fear is false evidence which is trying to
appear as something real and the only way to get over it is to face it head on. Another reality of fear is that it
can be healthy for us. It is simply because it makes us aware or keeps us alert of a dangerous situation for our
self and even for others too. Lastly, the ultimate fear which is fear of death is in reality a loss of our ego and a
loss of everything that we have.
Apparently, fear is nothing but a form of attachment to us. It is a delusion making us hold to the reason as to
why we are holding on to our life. Let us go and try to reach that unshakable citadel of realization of the
absolute essence of life’s uncertainty. Let us not have the idea of realizing our fears and never let it dwell and
allow them to wait in the shadows of our mind. Instead let us try to discover the true reality of fear.
Questions for discussion:
1. Have you realized what fear is really all about? Explain your answer further.
2. Do you believe that the reality of fear only exists in the mind? Why or why not?
3. Have you experienced fear to be a delusion in your mind? Explain how?
4. Do you agree that to have a rational mind, we have to eradicate fear in our mind? Justify your answer.
5. How do you combat fear in your life? Elaborate on your answer.