Forget everything and run or face everything and rise. Two meanings, the choice is yours.
Fear. What does you consider fearful? What is that one thought which triggers your fight or flight hormones? Clearly, this requires closer analysis.
Fear of separation? Seclusion? Everyone has varied answers, but the sensation is identical in all cases. As Google defines it, fear is an unpleasant feeling triggered by the perception of danger, real or imagined.
What is danger? A threatening situation, perhaps. What kind of threats, though? Here also, as we are manipulating psychological variables, the answers will be subjective.
Take, for example, a toddler. He must be enduring a lot of threats. After all, he's new to this world and every second object would land up in the ambit of threat to security: thus causing fear. Instances like an unexpected encounter with a fearful animal, exposure to loud noises or even momentary separation from parents can all be considered as a source of fear for the child. In retaliation, the child might throw tantrums, or cry all day long, much to the discomfort of his/her parents and family.
Now consider an adolescent. Teenage years, racy years. Years one spends with friends; or bonds more firmly with family. Rosy as this time might sound, it would not be cogent to say that this period is without any challenges, insecurities or fearful situations of its own. Basing further arguments on Erikson's theories emphasising on a search for identity, one thing is clear - an adolescent is in the pursuit of acceptance. Acceptance from a peer group; seclusion and rejection from which would cause fear in the mind of the individual. What group next? Which group will accept me now? And a few such self-depreciating thoughts later, the adolescent is addicted to delinquency. That's a consequence of futile fears.
Adulthood brings forth the fear of commitments and duties. How well we stand our ground in terms of family, business, relationships can sometimes transform from a moral issue to a question of our ethos. Such dizzying questions stress out the adult mind and it fears the day he wouldn't be able to maintain his principles. Treading on to a righteous path, one expects a genial old age. But when has life been a bed of roses, ever?
Old age brings the fear of death. The mere anticipation of bodily mortification so petrifies the elderly, they begin stewing mindless prophecies and cock and bull stories about life and philosophy in their minds. Feeling every perception in their body, except a thirst for life. Fear. Drives many to live and on the other side, frightens many to death. As Shakespeare calls old-age, second childishness, one can sense the fear of losing one's near and dear ones yet again on the foreheads of the once jovial beings.
What this post says shouldn't be taken on face value. Generalisation is the crime of this century and one must fear it's consequences.
Getting back to some enclosing points.
Often we are aware of things to be afraid of. We know not what things are secure. But then as Plato rightly put it, "Courage is knowing what not to fear."
