Primal Fear

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.-- H. P. Lovecraft.

Strangely this quote seems to be very true. And Fear seems to be most crippling and intimidating emotions to all the living creatures on earth. I have succumbed to fear a lot of times. I have been trying to understand the root cause of fear. But at the time when fear strikes me, I am totally paralysed. I find that the same happens to most of the people who are around with me. Some manage to conceal their fear. Some like me start reacting immediately to fear. But the bottom line people fail to analyse the fear and react accordingly.Over the years I have realised that fear is nothing but a consequence of ignorance. Well for example consider a student taking up his exams. It is fine if he fears the exams because the fear would also make him study but the fear should not cripple him. It should not stop him from taking up the exam. Well I have also realised that stress can lead to fear. Under stress we tend to even fear the slightest thing. So I guess its better to first assess the situation when panic occurs. Take a few deep breaths and think calmly about the situation. Try to understand the source of fear. If the fear is known, try to think positively to overcome the fear. Accept the situation calmly and slowly overcome the fear. If you can trust someone divulge your fear to them and talk to them about it. Sometimes good company hepls. Do not let fear conquer you.