I was watching my 1 year old daughter play at the parking lot, as many of the dads cannot afford a house with a lawn today in Chennai. She has learnt to walk since 6 months and already is independent.
She was curious to explore the sunlight, but cautious to step out of the shadow, as she already did once and she felt the heat through her bare foot. I think most of us feel that way about danger, because we know by our experience or knowledge the consequences of getting into a danger zone, outside our comfort zone.
Couple of minutes later, a friend of mine walks by and greets her. Her immediate reaction was to reach for my hand. My friend tries chatting with her, smiling, but no favorable result. He walks away, starts his bike and honks to draw her attention, and she keeps looking at him till he exits the apartment. We keep moving with our limited knowledge on certain things that appear to be dangerous, unless we get used to it. I believe, fear keeps us away from new things, new people, new opportunities, and eventually success.
I liked what was said in the movie After Earth: danger is very real, but fear is a choice. And, I also remember a backronym for fear that I once heard: FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. In my life and my experience today with my daughter, I think the best answer to how we tackle fear and danger revolves around our knowledge, experience, curiosity and motivation to learn. Action does cure fear; I don’t know how, but it does.