What is your greatest fear?
Few years ago, I had this interesting chat with my colleagues about our greatest fears in life. We took turns and each gave an answer and the reason for such fear. Some gave funny answers such as being obese and having a big tummy when he gets old, and another said he fears not being able to control bowel movement in public. Haha!
Others answered in a more serious tone and shared that they're afraid of being blind, to lose a loved one, and to be raped.
Mine was the fear of being raped. I think I wouldn't be able to live my life the same way again if that ever happened to me. But as I reflect, I realized, I don't really fear my 'greatest fear'.
Why is that?
Most of what we consider our greatest fears are circumstances that are out of our control. But often, these circumstances have a very small chance of occuring in our everyday lives. Thus we can easily shove it off our minds and continue to live each day feeling safe 99.9% of the time.
So what is the kind of fear that we really fear?
Perhaps the answer to this question can be found in what Mark Twain said,
"The cat, having sat upon a hot stove lid, will not sit upon a hot stove lid again. But he won't sit upon a cold stove lid, either."
There is the kind of fear that we normally consider part of our every day, the kind that we, knowing or unknowingly , are most afraid of. It could be the fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of not being perfect or good enough, fear of being judged, fear of rejection, and so on. These may seem petty but they can limit our thoughts and actions and eventually acquire the power to control our lives indirectly.
As for me, I am afraid of making mistakes. I've lived most of my childhood days being reprimanded or punished even for the most little things that I do wrong. So, I grew up thinking the less words you say, the less mistakes you'll have. The same thing goes for my actions. Perhaps this could be the best explanation to my timid and shy demeanor.
Sometimes fear is necessary, as it can keep us away from unfavorable circumstances. However, when fear becomes a limiting factor that hinders us from reaching our full potential, it's time we start to do something about it and remember these 3 steps -know your fear, feel it, then overcome it.
Other posts related to FEAR:
I admit it's been difficult looking for posts and choosing a topic for my supposedly daily #steemingfinds. There isn't much posts that I can choose from. Some 'good posts' doesn't feel like they're originally written by Steemit members and other posts are still written around the usual popular tags.
So far, I've found these two resteem-worthy and upvote-worthy posts:
Here is an in-depth article about fear, where Steemian @vikaromanova points out the types of fear and the reason why we fear.
Another great post by @layl tackles fear as a significant pointer in advancing yourself to something greater.
Happy Steeming!
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I believe that strict punishment for minor mistakes is one of the leading causes for timid and shy behavior. Do you have any idea how is this connected to your fear of rape, I can't see the connection and I would love to know the explanation?
Speaking of fears, I've explained a couple of hours ago in this article how did I overcome my biggest repeating nightmare, feel free to check it out if it sounds interesting.
By the way, I had that fear of being raped since I was 5 yrs old, after watching the news about a girl who was sexually abused by her own father. My father, who was also watching that time, expressed his disgust and disbelief..and that assured me not all fathers would do it to their child. But then the thought of being sexually forced by other people still lingered.
I thought you might still want to know. :) Thank you again for taking the time to read my post.
There is no connection, actually. I just wanted to say that all the while I thought to be raped is my greatest fear, not realizing that I have a far more damaging fear than that..and it is the fear of making mistakes.
Wow, thank you for sharing. Will definitely check it out.
I understand, thanks for the clarification. Cheers! : )