Fear is a subject that the average person rarely gives an honest account. Most people don't deal well with fear. Some try to avoid it. When they find themselves in a confrontation, they look for the fastest way to alleviate the feelings that result from a surge of adrenaline, even if it means to be humiliated, embarrassed or assaulted. They try to put such situations far from their minds as they get back to their lives preferring to live in their chosen fantasy.

To those around them, however, these same folks generally like to pretend that they have it all together and fear is the "other guy's" problem. Generally speaking, those who pretend to have no fear can be expected to react badly or even in a panic when faced with a real emergency. All it takes to change such an outcome is a little bit of hands on education on the subject.

So often misunderstood, fear is the one thing that won't be left behind when you trek out into the wilderness, no matter what else you may have forgotten. That's because fear is built into each one of us by design. It's not something to be dreaded, it's a warning light. Much like an "engine light" on a car. In fact, if a car could talk, the moment an engine light went on it would say something like, "Oh my God! You'd better pull over. Something is wrong and I don't know what it is, but it could be bad. Pull over! I don't want anything bad to happen!!!"

The focus of this page is to give the reader a better look at what fear really is, what it can do for you and suggest a way to learn to work with the fear indicator without being limited by it. The whole idea of eliminating fear is ludicrous. That's very much like saying, "eliminate your nerve centers so you don't feel any pain". It won't be long before you've suffered irreversible damage to your body or death. This is not the idea of survival at all. The idea of survival is to prolong your life and well being in situations where it may be extremely difficult to do so. Fear is an instant motivator to action, powerful enough to overcome sleep, laziness and disinterest. Fear is the warning that something dangerous is afoot. A person who is afraid is responding more to the alarm than the situation they are in.

Once it becomes apparent that our fear indicators are necessary to our well being, have so many levels, degrees and influences on our actions, it becomes clear to most folks that what they are really trying to do when attempting to master their fears is eliminate the "scary feeling" that makes them so uncomfortable. Many do not understand what their fear is trying to do for them, so rather than learning skills to defend themselves against future calamities, they allow fear to dictate their responses, or the lack thereof. They remain afraid, continually monitoring their alarm indicator. As long as they keep their alarm indicators under a panic level, all is well for them. The logic of which isn't a whole lot different than fearing the noise of the smoke detector to the point of concerning yourself with keeping it quiet at all costs. Don't cook anything in the house at any time. No need to own fire extinguishers, no reason to learn and practice escape routes and no reason to have important papers and items in a fireproof safe. All you really need is to eliminate any noise from that alarm!

Folks that are into preparedness, visiting sites like this one and the many others out there, are much more aware of the possibilities of the real world, and in anticipation are preparing themselves for such an emergency. This will eliminate the fear (warning indicator) that something needs to be done. In and of itself, however, preparation will not help a person deal with fear overall, as new possibilities bring with them a continual need for dealing with your warning indicator. Nor will the anticipation and the subsequent preparation eliminate that "scary feeling" that comes with the actual scenario for which they have prepared themselves. The fear (warning indicators) resulting from full knowledge of a particular subject and the fear (warning indicators) resulting from the actual occurrence are two entirely different things; though working through the one can help show you the way to work through the other.

In this sense, familiarity can help a great deal in a fearful situation. For this reason, practice and experience are so highly regarded. The vast majority of preparedness folks know this. So, in many regards, preparedness folks have the advantage over the fear factor on many levels. But the subject of fear doesn't end there. In regard to survival, there is no way to practice every possible scenario. Sooner or later, a person will find themselves in a fearful situation in which they have little or no experience and possibly little or no knowledge as well. This is the scenario that requires a person to be able to think or reason (albeit very quickly), which in turn requires that they have their fear under control if they are to respond appropriately and have any chance (beyond blind dumb luck) of coming out of it somewhat intact or at least responding with any effect. It is this scenario and dealing with the subsequent fear involved that is the ultimate aim of this discussion.

When a person is accustomed to environments where the fear indicators go off frequently, they develop an apparent disregard for the indicators. In reality though, they are paying close attention to the dangers that have been indicated, but they have lost the alarmist mentality they once had for the occasional warning. When their warning indicators kick in, the subsequent adrenaline gives them heightened reflexes and awareness properly preparing them to respond to any danger ahead. This is the goal, for the person seeking to "control their fear", so shrouded in confusion that few people find it. There is a small percentage of preparedness folks that have been professionally trained to operate this way in fearful situations. For the rest of us, we've got to learn on our own how to "vanquish fear". This takes the willingness to lay down our egos, laziness and penchant for denial of the real world. The truth is, fear is not a one time indicator that once we get past, we have no need to fear. Fear is an entity. It's a guardian angel that permeates every facet of our existence. We can't escape it no matter how hard we try. We can't run fast enough, train hard enough or learn enough about it to make it go away. There will always be something that causes us to fear. We must decide to whom we give the authority to control our actions; our will, or our fear.

We all know someone who has come to the conclusion that anger is their ticket to overcoming fear. They have, through experience, come to realize that when extremely angry, they can't feel the "uncomfortable feeling". The trouble is, that when extremely angry, thinking becomes more clouded. This will ultimately cause them to make less advantageous or even rash decisions bringing about less desirable outcomes for all involved. (For this reason, most rational folks tend to distance themselves from such a person.) Another overlooked flaw in such a plan is that one cannot remain angry all the time. Fear can overtake such a person when they are not at their best. Sooner or later, fear crops up in their sleep, when they are feeling vulnerable or depressed, or when they are injured or sick. Such a person would do well to accept the fact that fear will come regardless of any attempts to ignore it or drown it out by other means. This suggests that we find a better way to reconcile with our alarm indicators.

Once a person arrives at the realization that fear is inevitable, they are on their way to "conquering their fears". This has nothing to do with, studying the mind and how it operates, breathing control, or even hypnosis. Conquering your fears has everything to do with your commitment to accomplish your goal in spite of your inclination to the contrary. This is why when interviewed by news reporters, and asked if they were afraid, the survivors often report that "things happened so fast they didn't give any thought to fear". Their level of commitment to their task at hand was so intense that the "indicator" was drowned out.

Like it or not (and most people don't) the only way to eliminate "the scary feeling" of your alarm indicators is to become used to them. "Facing" your fears will only start you on the path; or show you that you have potential. Once a fear is "faced" once, or even twice, the person going back to sleep feels satisfied that "they know they could do it". This, however, is far from actually conquering them. It's like working out once or twice and knowing you could get into great shape if you wanted to. It doesn't change the shape you are presently in. The only way to become accustomed to fear is by repeated exposure to it. You have to walk the path. Unsettling at first, the knots and nausea turn to slight butterflies in the end. Rather than the sudden rush of adrenaline distorting your motor functions and mental perceptions, the practiced operation under stress conditions results in an increase in speed and agility when the adrenaline kicks in. (This is also how "adrenaline junkies" are made as a degree of euphoria is often felt after an intense or prolonged rush of adrenaline.)

The good news is that activities used as a means to acclimate a person to their alarm indicators are not goal specific. The only requirement is that greater than average risk is involved. Even better news is that you can increase exposure to fear by degrees. For example, if you have a fear of heights, you can start working on a balance beam. Not only will your fitness, coordination and balance improve dramatically, but you will become accustomed to heights as you gradually increase the height of the beam. As you gain confidence in your ability to deal with this level, you can attempt indoor rock climbing. Once you have built some skill, trust in your gear and your ability to use it safely, you can move to larger structures. It's here where all the reading about fear falls short. You have to experience the acclimation to risk to appreciate it.

There is no particular activity that can be suggested as the one and only means of helping a person to operate successfully in spite of their fears, though some activities seem more prone to it. (This does not mean that safety precautions are not stressed during such activities; on the contrary. There is no point to a dangerous activity without regard to every possible safety precaution available. The purpose of said activity is to teach the participant how to perform in spite of the alarm mode of their danger indicators and live to enjoy the resulting freedom and confidence as well as their potential effectiveness in a given emergency situation. Knowing how to participate in an activity safely is a large part of understanding one's own limits as well as a full understanding of the situation as a whole to include the potential for danger. Elimination of safety protocol or throwing caution to the wind is tantamount to reckless endangerment and potential suicide.)

However, a key ingredient, with respect to the subject of "overcoming fear", is the participant's undeniable realization of the possible dangers apparent in the activity. For example, driving is inherently dangerous. But done so frequently without as much as the apparent possibility of a resulting hangnail, people can develop a casual attitude and disregard for the gravity of real road hazards. This would be a poor choice for dealing with our alarm indicators. (This is evidenced by the insane maneuvers seen demonstrated on our roads by those who cannot see the dangers posed to themselves or others as a result of their driving habits.) However, by adding height to the equation, the vast majority of people can learn first hand what fear is all about.

DOOR!!!

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Anyone who has ever jumped from an airplane has experienced fear (often terror) though statistically, it's safer than driving. This is because the danger is much more apparent to the participant of the activity. There are countless other means of learning to overcome the inclination to react according to the indicator and respond to the task at hand as there are those who have tremendous fear of the dark, being alone, fear of water, animals, you name it. The idea here isn't that any particular chosen avenue is better than another, rather that a person must learn to will themselves to an action or reaction as opposed to allowing fear to do it for them. This cannot be done watching it on T.V. It can only be done first hand. A person must be put in the position to overcome fear through their will. There are no shortcuts to this. Anyone telling you different is selling you something, be it a product or time on their couch.

Overcoming The Fear Factor

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Once overcome, fear begins to work for you instead of against you. The only catch is that the degree of fear inherent in your chosen activity eventually has to come as close as possible to, or match the degree or intensity of the anticipated reality for which you practice, as overcoming the fear of bunny rabbits will not necessarily prepare you for the occasional parachute malfunction. Though an activity with an apparent danger level of a lesser degree can give you the confidence to attempt one of greater degree, something absorbent would be highly recommended for folks who think they are the same and attempt them.

When a person has learned that they can operate successfully in spite of the blaring warning indicator, confidence is the result. Continued operation in the face of the warning indicator ultimately removes the fear of the fear. This is what it means to be "fearless". In effect, you have conquered yourself. That is, you have overcome the human tendency to react to the indicator and react instead to the situation at hand. This is how our country's brave men have put themselves in harm's way and protected our country from enemies both foreign and domestic. Don't think for a moment that such men have no indicators of danger. They have simply learned to use it to their advantage.

When fear is working for us, it's not only an indicator of a situation that might need our immediate attention, it can also help us decide value of a certain goal, desire or person involved. For, if we are not willing to take whatever might happen during the course of pursuing a particular goal, perhaps what we think we desire is not a worthy goal after all. At the very least, if such a goal is indeed worthy, fear can help us see more clearly whether or not we ourselves are worthy. (The answer to which might surprise most people who choose to live vicariously through the television.) This in turn gives us the opportunity to build up our weak areas.

Fear will ultimately show you whether you fall into one of two categories; Slave or Free. If you are not committed to walking your trail regardless of the possibilities, you will be committed to responding to fear. Fear will then guide you. One who submits to fear, will become it's slave. It's not a "give and take" as is commonly wishfully thought. It's an "all or nothing" as our alarm indicators touch every facet of human life. All that need happen to be further controlled by another entity, person or authority is that they find a means to tap into our largest alarm indicator at it's weakest point.

Unless a person break free and learn to act according to will, choosing to handle the situation properly rather than seek to somehow escape the alarm, they will forever be ruled by such a master. Just as surely as seeking peace because one fears confrontation does not stop a bully from causing you harm. (This does not necessarily mean that a person should not employ wisdom, as long as one doesn't make a decision based solely on fear and call it wisdom.) Though this camouflage may work well when things are going well for the most part, this is not necessarily a habit that will be conducive to your continued well being, just as a bully will continue to assault, humiliate, extort and harm a fearful person at will until the bully is somehow deprived the opportunity. This, either by the bully somehow being prevented access to the victim or that former victim has decided they've taken enough, lost their fear of confrontation and committed themselves to responding regardless of the outcome, giving the bully a price to be paid for his trouble. Unfortunately, survival situations don't often give the victim repeated opportunities to cast off their fears. So it is in our best interest to learn how to cast off our fears while we have the opportunity.

Fear can also unmask those who wish to control you as they will employ it as their weapon. The types who promote fear, confusion, uncertainty or cause chaos to incite fear are simply attempting to corral you into a desired response putting them in a superior position of control or position of authority over you. Sadly, there are many who parrot these fears and promote it without any thought to what they are doing; thinking that they are saving the "uninformed" by passing on this "knowledge". When you understand fear and those who attempt to enslave others by it's use, you begin to understand the difference between "disinformation" (for the purposes of eliciting a desired response) and a real warning, as the latter also carries with it a solution. This would be a similar comparison to the promotion of the slightest possibility (in the mind of an alarmist scientist) of a meteor some day wiping out the earth as opposed to a warning by the weather center to take appropriate actions or cover as a hurricane is developing. Any announcement that carries fear without solution should be suspect as the means for an ulterior motive. In politics, causing fear without a solution is a means to cause the people to look to their leaders to "save them" from some unfortunate demise. Fear will in turn blind the people from seeing that it was their leaders who put them in the situation in the first place.

What it all boils down to is that rather than trying in vain to eliminate fear, we need to identify it, understand the purpose for it's existence and use it to our advantage. This is far removed from allowing fear to dictate your actions. The bottom line is to clearly define and develop the ability to operate successfully when alarm indicators are sounding off. (This is not to be confused with the elimination of discretion.) All the preparation in the world is in vain if someone or something can control you through your fear causing you to act, react or do nothing when it is not in your best interest to do so.