Tuesday, October 23, 2018

43 of 58 for 58: Deal Only With Fears of Your Own Making

To date I’ve collected enough fears to last me for the rest of my life. While their most acute impacts have dissipated, I still experience them.

There are the big existential ones: fears of growing old, being alone, and dying.

Then there are the more mundane ones. These include fear of dealing with anything mechanical (e.g., cars, computers). 

In one form or another, I confront these fears every day. The good news is that I name and deal with each of them to the best of my ability.

But there’s a whole other category of fears I also encounter. They’re stoked by politicians and others. They advocate for their point of view by conjuring up worst case scenarios. No matter how far-fetched they may seem, these fears play to my deepest concerns. More importantly, the politicians implore me to relinquish my preoccupation by supporting them. In other words, I should let someone else deal with the fears so I don’t have to.

That’s not my approach. I don’t outsource my fear management. I confront and deal with fears that impact my life. 

Besides, I don’t need anyone else’s fears. I have plenty of my own. 

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