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Eliminate one fear

ThatsWhatHeSaid

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Fear of myself.

Most of my fears (of which there are many) have some connection to a limited ability to trust myself. There has not been a time in my life that I can remember in which I wasn't grappling with a particular fear. I've learned to overcome them, but can only do it one at a time. Interestingly enough coming face to face with myself is my next natural step. I need to be alone with myself to make sure I am past betraying myself as I once did.

As I was reading this post, I imagined you going on a mission to eradicate all your fears one by one, which made me think again about whether we have a fear of fears.

Fearing yourself is interesting because the only thing that can fear yourself... is... yourself. As Alan Watts might have said, it's like trying to bite your own teeth. :)
 

INTJMom

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One of the fears that used to paralyze me the most was not the fear of failure, but the fear of not being perfect.
 

CzeCze

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If a genie granted you one wish that you could use to eliminate one fear, which fear would you choose? Why did you choose that fear? What other fears were you considering? Walk me through your thought process, please. None of the "I like myself just the way I am" evasion. ;)

(crossposted at INTPc)

Fear of loss of face is the best way I can put it. As that would cover fear of embarassment, humiliation, public and private ridicule, failure, and people's opinions of you in general. So pretty much eliminate all kinds of social anxiety, and even some fear of intimacy, and definitely fear of speaking publicly and somewhat performing in public.

So basically -- everything?

Or perhaps you could chalk it up to fear of the unknown future, cause and effect.

This fear really did control my life when I was in my late teens/early 20s. Along with the fear Targo stated of success. When you are afraid of SUCCESS and FAILURE. That's what you call purgatory. Not a fun place to live.

So basically yeah, wouldn't my solution be the ultimate panacea for EVERYONE? I think this corresponds with my 3 ennegram type which I always come out as in the top 1-3 positions.

I know I would be like SuperWoman if I could get rid of that fear. Nay, I would be like the 8 million dollar lesbionic woman.

I would kick ass with my cybernetically enhanced self.

It would be incredibly liberating.

There is a strange pulp young adult series of novels based on this girl who scientifically had the 'fear gene' removed from her. She's never afraid. I think that would be 1) a boring book and 2)impossible to seem plausible

FWIW, I have never been afeared of death, or women (hahaha) or my body.

I don't have a fear of heights because when I'm at the top of tall buildings and look down, I have a compulsion to jump more than anything else. It's not a self-destructive thought, it's the actual physical sensation. I can feel the vertigo and gravity pulling on my center of gravity. It's palpable.


I should probably try bungee jumping or freebase parachuting sometime to get rid of that.

But no, I don't consider it a fear.

Does anyone else feel this? Don't you feel more grounded literally when you live on the ground floor as opposed to a higher floor? Or do I just talk crazy now? You can rep me with positivitives and let me know. 'Cause I can just erase this thread. I've done it bunches before, don't think I won't.
 

ThatsWhatHeSaid

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Fear of loss of face.

*dramatic musical stabs*

michael-jackson-mugshot.jpg
 

Domino

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Now that you mention it, I think a lot of people fear intimacy, Czester.

Johnny Rotten said that it was fine to have sex with whomever, but really connecting with his wife was one of the most terrifying experiences he's ever had. It's exposure on a cellular level. I can't even stand to have people look at me for very long because I think they'll see everything wrong with me (I've had that happen, weirdly enough. Had people stare at me expressly for the purpose of finding all my flaws and announcing them.)

Losing face is like losing "yourself" because your face is what meets the world.
 

Magic Poriferan

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I'm hopelessly not afraid of intimacy.
 
O

Oberon

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If a genie granted you one wish that you could use to eliminate one fear, which fear would you choose? Why did you choose that fear? What other fears were you considering? Walk me through your thought process, please. None of the "I like myself just the way I am" evasion. ;)

(crossposted at INTPc)

I would kill my fear of being discovered.

By that I mean the subliminal anxiety that one day I will be revealed to all who know me and think well of me as the sorry pathetic loser I internally know myself to be.

This is a fear based on an irrational premise, I know (or at least I hope), but that does nothing to make the fear less real to me.

EDIT: And Jennifer, yes, I know. I haven't fooled everyone.
 
O

Oberon

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As I was reading this post, I imagined you going on a mission to eradicate all your fears one by one, which made me think again about whether we have a fear of fears.

I wonder if at some level fears serve a purpose. If we could eradicate all fears, would that really be something we would want to do?
 

arcticangel02

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That's a valid point.

For example, I fear death, but to completely get rid of that... it'd be too easy to end up reckless and careless with your own life and the lives of those around you.
 

prplchknz

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I think in most situations fear can be a very useful thing. I mean as long as it's not a phobia, like if their's a man on the street following you. You are probably going to be weirded out even a little afraid. Even if he doesn't mean any harm, you don't know, I mean he could just be walking in the same direction as you. You are either going to go into a store, because if something does happen there is guaranteed another person or hold tighter to you possesions and walk faster. Also if a guy is given me weird eyes I'm going to be scared. This whole you shouldn't be afraid of people thing, is kinda dumb I mean people get mugged and pick pocketed.

Now my fear of public speaking is a phobia and it goes beyond the logical use of it.
 

miss fortune

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fear is supposed to be evolutionary in basis because those who knew what to be afraid of tended to have a better chance of survival- that's why it's so common for people to be afraid of heights, snakes, spiders, the dark and other things that could be dangerous :)


of course I probably would have died as a primitive human- no fear of actual dangerous things, but a horrible fear of large leaved plants, which I could have eaten for survival! :cry:
 

prplchknz

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fear is supposed to be evolutionary in basis because those who knew what to be afraid of tended to have a better chance of survival- that's why it's so common for people to be afraid of heights, snakes, spiders, the dark and other things that could be dangerous :)


of course I probably would have died as a primitive human- no fear of actual dangerous things, but a horrible fear of large leaved plants, which I could have eaten for survival! :cry:

Who knows the plant could be poisoned.
 

Domino

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I wonder if at some level fears serve a purpose. If we could eradicate all fears, would that really be something we would want to do?

That's a valid point.

For example, I fear death, but to completely get rid of that... it'd be too easy to end up reckless and careless with your own life and the lives of those around you.

Agreed.

Without tension, things fly apart or never peak.
 
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