Question
What Fear Can Teach Us
Karen Thompson Walker
2013
As a writer, I can tell you that a big part of writing fiction is learning to predict how one event in a story will affect all the other events, and fear works in that same way. In fear, just like in fiction, one thing always leads to another. When I was writing my first novel, The Age Of Miracles, I spent months trying to figure out what would happen if the rotation of the Earth suddenly began to slow down. What would happen to our days? What would happen to our crops? What would happen to our minds? And then it was only later that I realized how very similar these questions were to the ones I used to ask myself as a child frightened in the night. If an earthquake strikes tonight, I used to worry, what will happen to our house? What will happen to my family? And the answer to those questions always took the form of a story. So if we think of our fears as more than just fears but as stories, we should think of ourselves as the authors of those stories. But just as importantly, we need to think of ourselves as the readers of our fears, and how we choose to read our fears can have a profound effect on our lives.
Now, some of us naturally read our fears more closely than others. I read about a study recently of successful entrepreneurs, and the author found that these people shared a habit that he called “productive paranoia,” which meant that these people, instead of dismissing their fears, these people read them closely, they studied them, and then they translated that fear into preparation and action. So that way, if their worst fears came true, their businesses were ready.
And sometimes, of course, our worst fears do come true. That’s one of the things that is so extraordinary about fear. Once in a while, our fears can predict the future. But we can’t possibly prepare for all of the fears that our imaginations concoct. So how can we tell the difference between the fears worth listening to and all the others? I think the end of the story of the whaleship Essex offers an illuminating, if tragic, example. After much deliberation, the men finally made a decision. Terrified of cannibals, they decided to forgo the closest islands and instead embarked on the longer and much more difficult route to South America. After more than two months at sea, the men ran out of food as they knew they might, and they were still quite far from land. When the last of the survivors were finally picked up by two passing ships, less than half of the men were left alive, and some of them had resorted to their own form of cannibalism. Herman Melville, who used this story as research for Moby Dick, wrote years later, and from dry land, quote, “All the sufferings of these miserable men of the Essex might in all human probability have been avoided had they, immediately after leaving the wreck, steered straight for Tahiti. But,” as Melville put it, “they dreaded cannibals.”
How does fear influence our actions?
Fear allows people to be more prepared and calm in the event of an emergency.
Fear encourages people to be paranoid and to act unreasonably.
Fear can encourage people to act cautiously as well as irrationally at times.
Fear discourages people from going outside of their comfort zones.
Karen Thompson Walker
2013
As a writer, I can tell you that a big part of writing fiction is learning to predict how one event in a story will affect all the other events, and fear works in that same way. In fear, just like in fiction, one thing always leads to another. When I was writing my first novel, The Age Of Miracles, I spent months trying to figure out what would happen if the rotation of the Earth suddenly began to slow down. What would happen to our days? What would happen to our crops? What would happen to our minds? And then it was only later that I realized how very similar these questions were to the ones I used to ask myself as a child frightened in the night. If an earthquake strikes tonight, I used to worry, what will happen to our house? What will happen to my family? And the answer to those questions always took the form of a story. So if we think of our fears as more than just fears but as stories, we should think of ourselves as the authors of those stories. But just as importantly, we need to think of ourselves as the readers of our fears, and how we choose to read our fears can have a profound effect on our lives.
Now, some of us naturally read our fears more closely than others. I read about a study recently of successful entrepreneurs, and the author found that these people shared a habit that he called “productive paranoia,” which meant that these people, instead of dismissing their fears, these people read them closely, they studied them, and then they translated that fear into preparation and action. So that way, if their worst fears came true, their businesses were ready.
And sometimes, of course, our worst fears do come true. That’s one of the things that is so extraordinary about fear. Once in a while, our fears can predict the future. But we can’t possibly prepare for all of the fears that our imaginations concoct. So how can we tell the difference between the fears worth listening to and all the others? I think the end of the story of the whaleship Essex offers an illuminating, if tragic, example. After much deliberation, the men finally made a decision. Terrified of cannibals, they decided to forgo the closest islands and instead embarked on the longer and much more difficult route to South America. After more than two months at sea, the men ran out of food as they knew they might, and they were still quite far from land. When the last of the survivors were finally picked up by two passing ships, less than half of the men were left alive, and some of them had resorted to their own form of cannibalism. Herman Melville, who used this story as research for Moby Dick, wrote years later, and from dry land, quote, “All the sufferings of these miserable men of the Essex might in all human probability have been avoided had they, immediately after leaving the wreck, steered straight for Tahiti. But,” as Melville put it, “they dreaded cannibals.”
How does fear influence our actions?
Fear allows people to be more prepared and calm in the event of an emergency.
Fear encourages people to be paranoid and to act unreasonably.
Fear can encourage people to act cautiously as well as irrationally at times.
Fear discourages people from going outside of their comfort zones.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Fear influences our actions in several ways, showing both positive and negative effects on decision-making and behavior. Here are some of the main points:
1. **Preparation and Calmness:** Fear can drive individuals to prepare for potential emergencies, leading to more organized responses when crises occur. In the context of the essay, "productive paranoia" among successful entrepreneurs exemplifies this, where fear prompts careful planning and preparation, ensuring they are ready for worst-case scenarios.
2. **Paranoia and Irrationality:** While fear can motivate preparation, it can also lead to excessive paranoia and irrational decisions. The example from the whaleship Essex illustrates this, where fear of cannibals caused the crew to make poor navigational choices, ultimately leading to a tragic outcome. This demonstrates how fear can cloud judgment and lead to unnecessary caution or avoidance.
3. **Cautious Behavior:** Fear often leads to cautious actions. It can motivate individuals to carefully assess risks and avoid potentially dangerous situations. However, this caution can turn into overly cautious behavior, discouraging people from taking necessary risks or stepping outside their comfort zones.
4. **Avoidance of Comfort Zone:** Fear can reinforce existing boundaries and discourage individuals from facing challenges or exploring new opportunities. This can hinder personal growth, as fear may keep individuals from trying new experiences or undertaking ventures that could be beneficial.
In summary, fear can be a double-edged sword—it can enhance our readiness and foresight but can also lead us into paralysis or harmful decision-making if we fail to differentiate between rational and irrational fears. How we interpret and act on our fears can significantly shape our paths and experiences.
1. **Preparation and Calmness:** Fear can drive individuals to prepare for potential emergencies, leading to more organized responses when crises occur. In the context of the essay, "productive paranoia" among successful entrepreneurs exemplifies this, where fear prompts careful planning and preparation, ensuring they are ready for worst-case scenarios.
2. **Paranoia and Irrationality:** While fear can motivate preparation, it can also lead to excessive paranoia and irrational decisions. The example from the whaleship Essex illustrates this, where fear of cannibals caused the crew to make poor navigational choices, ultimately leading to a tragic outcome. This demonstrates how fear can cloud judgment and lead to unnecessary caution or avoidance.
3. **Cautious Behavior:** Fear often leads to cautious actions. It can motivate individuals to carefully assess risks and avoid potentially dangerous situations. However, this caution can turn into overly cautious behavior, discouraging people from taking necessary risks or stepping outside their comfort zones.
4. **Avoidance of Comfort Zone:** Fear can reinforce existing boundaries and discourage individuals from facing challenges or exploring new opportunities. This can hinder personal growth, as fear may keep individuals from trying new experiences or undertaking ventures that could be beneficial.
In summary, fear can be a double-edged sword—it can enhance our readiness and foresight but can also lead us into paralysis or harmful decision-making if we fail to differentiate between rational and irrational fears. How we interpret and act on our fears can significantly shape our paths and experiences.