Fear is a funny thing. Well, not funny-ha-ha - but it can be funny-odd, funny-weird and funny-amusing. Sometimes fear paralyzes; sometimes it motivates you to action and sometimes it hits you so hard that it just knocks you flat on your backside. There are so many kinds of fear….as many kinds as there are things to be afraid of, I suppose. You can fear spiders, storms, zombies, clowns or snakes. You can fear the unknown, the darkness, or the mysterious. You can fear the worst; you can future; you can fear the consequences of the past. You can be afraid of people, of things and even of ideas. Fear can cause you to feel dizzy, anxious, sweaty or nauseated. Fear and cause you to tremble and shake, can cause your heart to race and allow your imagination to run away with you. There are irrational fears and there are fears founded in danger and fact. There may be a deep seated reason for fearing certain things…..or the fear may be completely unreasonable. Fear of heights, fear of water, fear of public speaking, fear of rejection, fear of closed in spaces, fear of humiliation, fear of pain, fear of failure, fear of illness, fear of rollercoasters, fear of death…the list of things we fear could go on indefinitely.
When thinking about what I fear the most in life…I guess it would be a fear that something horrible would happen to the people I love and cherish. I’m also afraid of failure, of being alone and I have a few irrational fears…such as being afraid of steamrollers (The machinery used to pave roads? I used to call them ‘Scare-Buggies’ when I was a child), being afraid of getting my face wet (even in the shower), and I’m afraid of Jack-in-the-Box toys that pop up when you least expect it. I’m afraid of Uncle Sam….(WHY does he want ME?? And that dreadful beard and knobby pointing finger???!!!) And I’m afraid of sock-monkeys. (Tell me that they don’t look like they are evil incarnate wearing those ridiculous red grins!). I’m afraid I’ll fail….no matter what the undertaking I am afraid that I won’t be smart enough, good enough, witty enough, resourceful enough or bright enough to meet whatever circumstance presents. I’m afraid I’ll say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, or wear the wrong thing. I’m afraid of scary movies because they give me night mares which make me wake up in the middle of the night afraid. I’m afraid of being too afraid and not being brave enough. I’m afraid of being too much and I’m afraid of being nothing at all. I’m afraid of the finality of dying but in the same breath, I’m afraid of the infinite tedium of living. I’m afraid of not experiencing enough, but also afraid of holding on too tight. I’m afraid of being in control and yet I’m also afraid of losing control. I’m afraid of becoming stuck, but I’m also afraid of running away. It’s such a dichotomy! A double-edged sword. I believe it was FDR who said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself!” Guess he was right. Sometimes, I just fear that I’m too afraid. The Bible says, ‘Fear Not’ 365 times. I’ve heard folks say that it say says it at least once for every single day of the year. I’ve heard people answer questions like this: “ Are you Mr. Smith?” “Well, I’m afraid so.” Afraid so?? If you’re Mr. Smith, why are you afraid that you ARE Mr. Smith?? Makes little to no sense to me. “Does this road go to Mr. Smith’s house?” “I’m afraid not!.” You’re afraid not? Does that mean you’re not afraid? That doesn’t even address the question of where the road actually goes?? Afraid not, indeed! Fear. We’re told to “Fear God!” and it’s supposedly a good thing to be called “God-Fearing”….but what exactly does that mean? Does it mean to be afraid of God? I don’t think so. I looked up fear in the dictionary and this is what I found:
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