The Nature of Fear

[emeraldlonewoulf]

The Nature of Fear


Fear: (definition from Dictionary.com)

1. a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc.,
whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.

2. a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling: an abnormal fear of heights.

3. concern or anxiety; solicitude: a fear for someone's safety.

4. reverential awe, esp. toward God.

5. that which causes a feeling of being afraid; that of which a person is afraid: Cancer is a common fear.
–verb (used with object)

6. to regard with fear; be afraid of.

7. to have reverential awe of.

8. Archaic. to experience fear in (oneself).
–verb (used without object)

9. to have fear; be afraid.


What are some things that almost universally cause fear in human beings? Or more person specific fears? Pain ( that you do not control)? The idea of being eaten alive? Loss of control? Being deprived of certain senses (sight, hearing, etc)? The dark? The light? Fear of failure? Starvation? Addiction? Worms, spiders, snakes etc? illnesses? “erratic” behavior, as in a mentally disturbed or handicapped person?

How much of the fear of these things is instinctual, and how much is learned? Is fear generally an instinctual reaction of self-preservation in the face of new stimulae? Why do the same things inspire fear in some and spark curiosity in others? Does that correlate to the persons’ natural ability to deal with the particular new thing?

What are the differences in kinds of fear? I mean, different levels. You can be “afraid” of not passing a certain test in school, or not paying a bill, and you can also be afraid of the psycho killer chasing you across the park, or the rapist stalking your significant other.

Is there a more fundamental emotion than fear? The appearance of anger, of love, and most other emotions can stem from fear, can they not? Is there anything more basic to the human psyche? Can one definition of love be fear for another, for their welfare or well-being?

What is it about fear that can motivate or drive us, more than other emotions? Can other emotions exist independent of fear, in one form or another?

I bring up this subject because this subculture has a bit of a reputation for enjoying and seeing beauty in things that cause fear in most people, i.e. graveyards at night, spooky stories, a dark artistic aesthetic, sometimes featuring gore or the supernatural, death, etc.

This is something I want to dissect, to take apart to its smallest parts, and see how it works.

Comments?

[HumanePain]

Originally Posted by Emerald Lone Woulf

I bring up this subject because this subculture has a bit of a reputation for enjoying and seeing beauty in things that cause fear in most people, i.e. graveyards at night, spooky stories, a dark artistic aesthetic, sometimes featuring gore or the supernatural, death, etc.

I think you are close to a truth: besides the above examples, some of the attributes that make us "goths" like things that others avoid manifests itself other areas of our lives: I like going into difficult situations and solving them; I made a successful career out of doing this. For example, many of my coworkers and peers in the industry (database and networking software) are afraid to travel, and even more, are afraid to travel to a customer site that has broken software, where something has gone wrong and the customer is upset or even angry. But I enjoy swooping "into the lion's den" and fixing it, and reaping the glory.

A lot of people are afraid of public speaking. I love getting in front of a 50 or 60 people and teaching them a technical training class or presenting a marketing slide.

So it is more than just not being afraid of graveyards, it is an inner sense of confidence that separates us from the casuals, the normies, in that our confidence allows us to dress as we like without care for what other's think, we have our own opinons, hell, we even argue amongst ourselves.

I think you are on to something there.

[emeraldlonewoulf]

I can see that, I suppose. I've met many people who were confident and enjoyed facing trouble or huge odds, but most of them weren't goth. They were however, bikers, full-time travelers, survivalists, former special forces, or some such other unique and out-of-the-mainstream demographic.


Some people will freak out at the slightest thing, while others will "walk through the explosion" without apparent reaction. Some people choose to feel a certain way, or not, while others seem to be pure victims to their emotions. I want to be able to break the thing down to its basic components. I have several reasons for this. The first being, I want to understand it better. The second is that I the times I have needed to calm fear in myself or others, I've kind of had to fly by the seat of my pants, and while that works, I prefer to be prepared for situations if I can. I find if I can break something down logically I can overcome it more quickly, and with less effort. The third is I want to be able to write about it convincingly.

Don't get me wrong, I've written some scary scenes, but I want to be able to do it better, and I think if i can get some feed back on what other people think about it, that might help.

[GothicChristian]

Originally Posted by HumanePain

I think you are close to a truth: besides the above examples, some of the attributes that make us "goths" like things that others avoid manifests itself other areas of our lives: I like going into difficult situations and solving them; I made a successful career out of doing this. For example, many of my coworkers and peers in the industry (database and networking software) are afraid to travel, and even more, are afraid to travel to a customer site that has broken software, where something has gone wrong and the customer is upset or even angry. But I enjoy swooping "into the lion's den" and fixing it, and reaping the glory.

A lot of people are afraid of public speaking. I love getting in front of a 50 or 60 people and teaching them a technical training class or presenting a marketing slide.

So it is more than just not being afraid of graveyards, it is an inner sense of confidence that separates us from the casuals, the normies, in that our confidence allows us to dress as we like without care for what other's think, we have our own opinons, hell, we even argue amongst ourselves.

I think you are on to something there.

I agree with you, HP. Though I, myself, do fear certain things; (Needles and people touching my face, to name two) I live for the things most people fear. I enjoy public performance, being the odd one out, helping people with their serious problems, (such as self harm, suicidal thoughts, homicidal cravings, and so on) etc. and am not easily intimidated. Put me in a room full of people that thrive on making other people miserable, and I'll come out laughing.
I also enjoy aesthetic things that others find morbid. For example, find funerals lovely; perhaps because of the tradition that goes into it, and the ceremony, but it's lovely none the less. I enjoy looking at things that strike fear into most people's souls.
Our subculture is, perhaps, one of the most beautiful and mysterious of all because, not even those of us within it can fully understand it. Most would completely turn away from this; but us, we chose to delve into it. Some more passionately than others. Would you not agree?

[TopHaggardDoll]

Alot of people see life in a very straightforward way, they don't acknowledge perception or acknowledge that reality is not a singular thing. Reality is a different world for almost every person if they choose to let their own perception free.

Humans are pattern seeking animals, we like comfort zones, familiarity, a constant. That is why most fear the unknown.
When you see that there is nothing really to fear in these unknown places, it sets you free.

When you delve into these "dark" places with an open mind, all there is, is beauty but in a different form. Beauty is formless...people forget that.
People are used to their spoon fed reality and are taught that certain things are wrong or ugly...they are so set in this view, they don't realise that they surround themselves with fear.

We don't fear what most would because we surround ourselves with it...and see it for what it really is.

[Cyntrox]

Interesting topic.

Fear most certainly started as a method of survival - the stone-age men survived by fleeing from big, scary mammoths. Evolution. Natural selection.

However, it is obviously not what fear is today... Fear of speaking in public, fear of loosing your job is something different. I will keep an eye on this topic.

[AngelikDemonik]

I'm afraid of the dark, but that's because I've convinced myself something will get me if I turn my lights off. I'm 22 years old, by the way.

[KontanKarite]

I've actually overshot. I don't think I found that happy medium that sets one free. Though the taboo is merrily something I find to be interesting and doesn't shock me in the least, it's the more mundane normal things of life that scare the shit out of me. A day job, bills, obligations that I probably wouldn't have to keep if only the rules were just a bit different. Driving. All the things that are "light hearted" and taken for granted scare me silly.