Saturday, March 09, 2013

What do you most fear?

Oath of Office - June 2009
I posed this question to roughly 600 connections on FaceBook. I invited them to respond privately, and I promised not to reveal names. Two people responded.

I am not surprised. Sharing that which we fear exposes vulnerability, and these days many of us feel especially vulnerable. The two respondents shared the same fear: the fear of insignificance, not making a difference. One explained like this, "on the day of your funeral, no one comes." I think this is a common fear, but it is a manageable fear--if we want to make a difference, we have to get up and do something. I can relate; my life needs purpose. This was one of the drivers behind my decision to serve my country in the Army reserve.

Fear can drive people to do some amazing things and rise to new heights. But fear can also cause people to stand frozen in place when they should take action. This leads me to my next question:

How do you respond to fear?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How do I respond to fear?? Well the thing I feared the most was losing my dad and i am still responded to that one day at a time nearly one year later. I stood up and put him first and helped him pass with dignity. Held his hand and let him go.

I think fear brings out the strength in me. I can do things that I did not think possible. My fear is having those I loved threatened in some way. When that happens, I push my fear aside and do what needs to be done to protect those I love. I do not fear not making a difference as i know that I do make a difference to those I love and care for.
I fear what I could do if faced with serious harm at the hands of another on one of those I love. I fear that my anger could take over and I do something that could keep me from being there for them in the future.