Fear

For a long time, I have had a pie in the sky idea that if I were going to write a thesis for a PhD, I would write it on fear. I was especially interested in it from the mental (my work) perspective, and I observed how individuals used it to keep their lives stagnant, to fail, to be dependent, and often to wallow in it. It was also interesting from a biblical view as it stood in opposition to a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7),  and from the many numbers of time that the readers are told not to fear.

Mark Twain said, "I have feared many things, and one or two have actually proven to be correct."

(Disclaimer here that sometimes a sense of fear can alert us to making safe choices, but I am not referencing that type of fear.)

With "news" about the coronovirus, there is the nuance that everyone is afraid. I recently read that fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. That is so often the case, and it is easy to jump to a conclusion without evaluating. I have found there is little else I can control in this life except for my behaviors and the way I see things, perceptions. It does take effort to change our thinking, but it can be done!

Anxiety is the most prominent manifestation of fear. It may be biological for some, but I think it mostly starts small with some life event, large or small, and builds. If only people would identify it and deal with it as unnecessary when it first looms over them.

So as to the current situation, what good is it to be afraid? Does it feed into some people's anxieties? Like everything else, the situation will run its course. We will do our parts. It will be less likely to spread if we practice good hygiene and practice sizable personal space. We also know that God hears and answers prayers. Fear is unhealthy. Life moves along. Let it go.