Fears. As humans we all have them. Fear is a basic survival instinct. Fear can alert you to potential dangers, encourage you to evaluate a situation, even save your life. Fear can manifest itself as a valuable instinct or a paralyzing phobia. Everyone is afraid of something. Believing that you are fearless means never having thought through your life situation. Afraid to change jobs, afraid to eat foreign foods, afraid to fly...you fill in the blank. In my case, I am afraid of bears.
My recurring nightmare goes something like this : I am chased through a tranquil forest by a large drooling, hairy beast growling and slashing at me; I am always caught. Tales of unfortunate bear encounters demand my utmost attention. Methods of warding off attacks are studied and committed to memory. I have played out the steps I will take for surviving my first face-to-face over and over in my mind.
Jokes abound when we head out on hikes. My family laughs at me. My husband growls at me outside dark pit toilets. Fingers point at me when a National Geographic special features a member of the Ursus family. They all giggle about my "illogical" fear of bears.
Illogical. ILLOGICAL?!!
Illogical would mean devoid of truth or validity. Illogical would be lacking a sense of orderly thought. Illogical would be without correct reasoning or aesthetically consistent relation of parts.
Hmmmm.
I find the reasoning behind my fear perfectly valid......
not at all without a sense of verity......
and, through my eyes, there
is an aesthetically consistent relation of parts to my fear! I mean, come on - just look at the teeth, the claws, the paws! This is definitely a case where size of parts matters.
Illogical does not define my fear.
Irrational-yes. Illogical-no.
Having paid close attention to ranger talks over the years, I am fully aware that the odds of my stumbling across a bear are slim to none. Even if I wanted to find one-which I do not-they tend to avoid humans. Highly intelligent but fundamentally timid, they will not seek out human contact unless identified as a food source and as spotless as I keep my campsite, you would think I don't eat when I camp. Rarely do bears attack except when they feel threatened and, believe you me, I am not going to stand around teasing and mocking a grizzly should the opportunity arise.
So, as I know and can reason through why I should
not be afraid of bears I am, therefore irrational not illogical. My fear makes sense, it just shouldn't be there at all. And yet, it is.
So, what to do with this irrational obsession?
I could stay out of bear country and reduce my odds of a bear encounter to zero, but that would mean my fear was controlling and dictating my behavior. I have always loved the solitude of nature and exploring new territory. Given that I live in an area inhabited by bears, I would have to give up an activity that brings me great joy and peace. So rather that run, I face it head on.
Does it keep me from venturing into the wilderness? No
Have I stopped hiking in bear country? No
Do I carry a bear bell? No. (Gotcha! You would think...Yes, but smart bears know that bells=people=food, so ...No. I do sing a lot though.)
We should not let our fears dictate our actions. There is no greater thrill, nor greater challenge in life, than being paralyzed with fear, yet pushing forward through its barrier to enjoy an experience you would not have allowed yourself the pleasure of had you listened to that little voice in your head telling you to be afraid.
Had I listened to my little voice I would have missed out on all this.....
My advice to you?
Feel the fear, and do it anyway.
What is fear keeping from you?
