fear rules

Pat, this is one of the reasons Ilove reading the things you post. As in our other discussion, we have to find ways to insulate people from fears that leave them petrified and unable to take right actions for themselves. Fear leads to vulnerability that hurts us in so many ways. Joanne

I've always been a worrier. To protect myself, I make plans. What if this happens, what will I do? I don't worry about things I have no control over. We have a lot of tornadoes in Iowa. I am terrified of them. My anwer is we know exactly what to do if one comes through. We know where to go and what to do, we've stockpiled the necessities. Therefore, I refuse to worry about it anymore. It's off my list, I move on. Once you've done what you can to get ready, put it out of your mind. I may get shot by a burglar. I can't predict that. I know what I'll throw at him if he's in the house, beyond that it's anybody's guess. I may be able to kill him, or hurt him by throwing pots and pans at him, he might trip and I'll help him break his neck. The plans are made, I set it aside. I've taken the precautions I can, knowing the police won't be any help until it's over. Now I won't worry about it. This is one way I cut down on my worrying over everything. I can't help the economy. It scares me. But since I can't do anything about it, I cut back where I can and read books to keep my mind off it. Nice, humorous, fluff books where the good guys win and the bad guys go splat. Fear does not rule my life. It could, since I'm predisposed to it. But I won't let it. I control my fear, it does not control me.

Without fear, we are totally vulnerable. It's one thing not to WORRY, but not to fear at all is ridiculous

I don't allow fear to rule my life.We live in the flood zone.This natural catastrophe is a part of our life.But your 9-11 is so tragic incident it will be remembered for long time.Future generation will learn from the history how much cruel were the terrorists.You rightly said we will not surrender to fear.We will protect ourselves and go frward for the bright future.

Yes I think we should not fear the things around us but we should think of solution to those problems. Like for example you live in an area that is usually flooded even with just little rain. My husband has an excellent experience with this one because when we have not yet met each other, he rents an apartment alone. He found out that it is a flooded area and he even tried going to work with water in waist level! He told me that he moved after finishing his contract because he wants to have a better home and better life. After that incident he always tell me that what we fear should not rule our life but we should be the one solving them. We should not make life complicated so if there is a solution, do it as early as possible.

Hi savypat. We cannot avoid having fears but we cannot allow it to rule our lives either. I've had a lot of fears that I've learned to overcome (somehow) as I got older. I've learned to realize that there are some things that are bound to happen no matter what you do. We just need to take proper precautions. Thanks for this interesting discussion. Have a great day!