What Do You Fear?

The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite movies. I loved everything about it, except of course, for the witch and the flying monkeys. My mom reminded me throughout my childhood that when I first saw the movie on TV,  I ran from the room every time the witch spoke or the flying monkeys came on. I was afraid of those moments. And that is rather ironic, because one of the life lessons I retained from the numerous times I have watched that movie, was how to be courageous. I loved the fantasy of the Wizard, the munchkins, the scarecrow, and Tin Man, and I especially loved the cowardly lion. 

In the end, when the Wizard gives to each character the item they most need, I love the wizard’s words to the cowardly lion: 

“You have plenty of courage, I am sure. All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.” — L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

We are all cowardly in some way. We all have fears and struggle to keep fear from ruining our lives. Louis Pasteur  — who taught the world about germs — was reported to have had such an irrational fear of dirt and infection he refused (long before COVID) to shake hands with anyone.

President and Mrs. Benjamin Harrison were so intimidated by the newfangled electricity installed in the White House they didn’t dare touch the switches. If there were no servants around to turn off the lights when the Harrisons went to bed, they slept with them on. 

It is said that Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin so feared for his safety that his residence in Moscow contained eight bedrooms. Each night Stalin chose a bedroom at random to ensure that no one knew exactly where he was sleeping.

According to many studies, the number one fear of most people is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than delivering the eulogy.

According to Wikipedia — that credible wealth of knowledge ever at our fingertips — fear is “a feeling induced by perceived danger or threat.” The ability to feel and experience fear is one of our basic or innate emotions. 

Fears that are appropriate and reasonable, are called rational fears. Staring into the face of an angry bear, or being surprisingly startled by a person’s sudden approach, are rational fears. Standing up to give a speech, is another example of an appropriate, rational fear. 

Rational fears keep us alive. Our bodies’ reaction to fear is literally life-saving. The fear response arises from the perception of danger, followed by our desire to either confront the threat or run from it. This is known as the fight-or-flight response. 

When we encounter a perceived danger or threat, our bodies respond in such a way as to help us to either fight the danger or to run from it. We first experience a rush of adrenaline through our bodies. Our hearts begin to pound faster, we begin to sweat, and we breathe more rapidly. Our pupils enlarge, and we may feel the need to relieve ourselves. Increased muscle tension leads to a feeling that our hair is standing on end, and we experience goose bumps. We get butterflies in our stomach. All of these reactions are inborn reactions to danger or threat.

I would also call this a very fine description of stage fright. So when an average person is asked to stand up and speak in a public forum, the butterflies, the breathiness and the sweating are understandable. The frightened speaker is experiencing a normal fight or flight response to a perceived danger or threat. 

Fears that are inappropriate and unreasonable are called irrational fears. Irrational fears are also labeled as phobias. Some of the most common phobias involve the fear of demons and ghosts, cockroaches, snakes, spiders, heights, water, enclosed spaces, tunnels, bridges, needles, and tests. 

When people encounter the trigger for their phobia — looking out the window of a tall building, for those who have a fear of heights, riding in an elevator for those who are fearful of enclosed spaces, and being handed a test in a classroom, the very same fight or flight responses occur in their bodies. Their hearts race, they sweat, they can’t breathe, they want to run away.

I have long had claustrophobia. I have an unabashed fear of enclosed spaces.  Every time I face an elevator, I swallow, take a big breath, and send up a quick prayer. If there aren’t many floors to climb, I step back and find the stairs. If that isn’t practical, I face my fear and step on the elevator. So when anyone begins to speak about irrational fears, I am right there with you. You have my compassion — we are one.

The problem with fear — especially those irrational ones, is that it ruins our lives. It paralyzes us. It keeps us from joy, and love and experiences, and connection, and laughter. Those are all beautiful life experiences, and I don’t want to miss them. I don’t think any of us want to shorten or limit the joy in our lives.

Ken Canion has written a blog in which he describes two kinds of fear: “The first kind of fear is the fear that conquers us. This fear makes us feel human, vulnerable and unwilling to take chances. It prevents growth and accomplishment.”

Ken goes on to say that this debilitating, paralyzing fear gives us despair and defeat. This kind of fear takes control of our lives and we stop living.  If I decided to stay home because of my claustrophobia, because I didn’t want to ever have to ride another elevator, or get on an airplane — an airplane is just another box to be trapped in — I would be allowing my irrational fear to paralyze me. It would then control my life. 

The second kind of fear is actually a productive fear. It is the kind of fear that people experience before doing something new or exciting. 

Ken Canion describes productive fear this way: “The second kind of fear can enhance any experience, provide clarity and exhilaration. This kind of fear can be a powerful motivator.” 

Ken then suggests that we spend some time thinking about our fears. He even suggests that we quickly list our fears and identify which ones are the kinds of fear that are keeping us from moving forward and which are kinds of fears that encourage us to push through to new experiences. If you are having trouble deciding which of your fears are the motivating kind or the negative, paralyzing kind, here’s a suggestion: 

If we feel panic and loss of control, we are not moving forward. We are experiencing a paralyzing, negative fear. When we react to danger, we are actually experiencing a healthy fear. When we run screaming from a small spider with the same intensity as we would when running from a burning building, we have an unhealthy fear.

Finally, we need to decide if our irrational, unhealthy fears are paralyzing us, how might we face or overcome those fears. Well, there are lots of approaches to dealing with fear.  

Personally, I have found great wisdom in this simple statement: Change the focus. Don’t focus on what you fear, but instead focus on what you want. Train yourself to think about the good things that you want in your life. 

Although I have an irrational fear of flying on airplanes, because of my fear of closed-in spaces, I practice changing the focus. On occasion, I want to get to other places faster than I would be able to accomplish by driving. I want to experience travel. My desire for the good things in life has caused me to repeatedly face and overcome my fear of flying. So I make airplane reservations, and I fly. 

What do we fear that has stripped the joy from our lives? What fear is paralyzing us and halting our growth? Let’s try shifting the focus from what we fear to what we want. Then, we might be able to make some changes that move us forward. 

When we are filled with fear, we are paralyzed because we are looking back or we are dreading something yet to come, that hasn’t even happened yet. 

My favorite verse about fear is in the first chapter of the second book of Timothy:

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

— II Timothy 1:7

Are we tapping into that power and love and self-control? Are we aware of what is available to us, especially when we are fearful? God does not wish for us to be frightened and cowering in the corner. God wants us to live fully — to laugh and to love and to grow. 

I always find it rather interesting that during the Halloween season, we surround ourselves with scary things — haunted houses, scary movies, and terrifying sights and sounds. It’s almost like Halloween is a season of celebrating fear. After all, during the Halloween season, we laugh at fear, we dress fear up in costumes, and we immerse ourselves in it. 

Well, I think this Halloween season we should mix it up. We should celebrate bravery. We should celebrate the power of love and laughter. We should look fear in the face, and stand up to it.  My friends, some of our fears are keeping us from living our biggest, best, most possible life. Let’s be like the cowardly lion. Let’s be courageous, confident, and brave. AMEN.

Thich Nhat Hanh has written:

“Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive.” 

My friends, let’s do our best to keep our fears under control. Let’s work to change the focus and recognize what our fears are taking from us.