# Understanding Fear

>Fear is an uneasiness of the mind, upon the thought of future danger likely to befall us - John Locke

Everyone has fears, we all afraid of one thing or the other. Mother's fear for their children's safety, students are afraid of failing in examinations, nations fear their rivals and neighbours, politicians are afraid of losing elections. Some are are afraid of the future, afraid of poverty, afraid of disgrace and dishonour, afraid of death, some are even afraid of life itself. We live in this constant fear of losing something or someone we hold valuable or dear to us. Fear is the root of all our problems, it gives rise to all our misfortunes, drains and exhausts all of the energies and joys in out life.

>Nothing in life is to be feared, its only to be understood.

Many of our fears are imaginary, take for instance, a student who has prepared well for an exam, but still dreads the thought of that exam. There are also people who live in fear without even being aware of it. They will not be able to specify what they are afraid of. They just suffer from persistent apprehension about something or the other. Imaginary fear, fear of the unknown, causes havoc in many lives.

[source](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcSuuBrx4v1gyokdq0fUuwIZpRiaAWWp1y9_fzUnfoDkDOOdwiF-)

One question comes to mind, why is it that a vast majority of us, live in perpetual fear of something or the other? Perhaps one reason is that we are lonely. The deepest tragedy of this modern time, is that most of us are quite lonely. In spite of the ever increasing social medias, clubs, hotels, restaurants, parks, museums, theatres and all other places where people are supposed to meet connect, people are lonely and lost. How many times have you talked to the person who's in front of you in the queue? Not too many times right? That's if you've ever done that! And your reason is you are afraid of how the person might react, so you better not say anything. If we are going to be true to ourselves, we won't deny that most of us are lonely, we lack the security of protection. Its this sense of loneliness, that leads to a feeling of frustration, and many of us begin to feel that life is not worth living. That's where suicide comes in, and we all know the increase in suicide rates recently. Life has become nothing but a burden to untold millions. Those that don't commit suicide, live in constant live tense, joyless lives, depression. Loneliness burdens the heart of people, sapping their strength, eating into their vital energies, little wonder then that heart diseases are on the increase, hypertension is a common ailment, even among the young. Nervous breakdowns are taking heavy toll. People feel lonely, lost, abandoned, forsaken and forlorn. Fear is a poison that quickly circulates through the entire system, paralysing the will, producing queer, unpleasant sensations in the mind and the heart, and sometimes causing unhealthy conditions. Fear is one of the greatest for of man, it tends to stop him from going to where he would have won, so it has to be uprooted before it overpowers you.