The Growth Of Fear

Friday 26th February 2021 12:46 am

Fear is such a desperate thing
It tells you many lies
It tells you that you are not strong enough
It says you shall not win, cannot survive.

Fear claims you will not cope
Feeds you despair
It tells you words that you should never trust
It says that you will break beyond repair.

But if you've ever been afraid and heard
It whispering or shrieking in your ear
Then learn from your own past, you can rely
It is always fear itself that disappears.

Fear wants to help, but does so as a child
That knows too little and makes little sense
Yet with encouragement and much advice
It may yet grow to wisdom and to strength.

And wisdom then must partner with concern
And strength for care must all its force enrol
For these then become a true unerring guide
And until then should not be in control.

Comments

Aviva Rifka Bhandari

Sun 28th Feb 2021 22:23

Thank you for commenting Your Royal Poetess, I think fear is the main and most common reason why people don't reach their goals.

The title 'The Growth of Fear' covers many aspects of the poem but actually ironically enough I didn't write the poem to grow fear, quite the opposite, I had many overgrown fears that I was trying to shrink.

Your Royal Poetess

Sun 28th Feb 2021 22:12

I believe fear stops you from overcoming limits, man should fear (but God - in May opinion). You cannot reach your goals being overshadowed with fear!

Aviva Rifka Bhandari

Fri 26th Feb 2021 19:34

Thank you MC for commenting, there was much to think about, I'd say that fear is more a recognition of trouble rather than a way of avoiding it, but that's just because I separate the emotion of fear and the 'reactive action' to fear as two separate things - even the emotion of fear can be a false alarm that might be caused by previous or current misunderstandings. Bundled together, the emotion of fear and it's reactive action, I wish that fear really were a way to avoid trouble except human history suggests otherwise and that's because of the choice of 'reactive action' often being unwise despite humanity's capacity to reason (I think a better jury than I would need to decide whether the broader category of 'other animals' are more or less reason-bound than the narrow 'human animal' category). All words are merely human definitions, by definition, and I think other animals do share the definition of fear, they just might be afraid of different things or show it differently. So oddly enough since we disagree on quite a bit of the nuances, we both agree that application of reason makes all the difference and is quite essential for a good outcome where fear is involved.

M.C. Newberry

Fri 26th Feb 2021 15:32

I tend to think of fear as nature's way of avoiding trouble. All visible
life forms seem to demonstrate its manifestation in action. After all,
isn't the word itself merely a human definition that other animals
do not share, let alone comprehend except via instinctive response
to perceived threat of whatever sort?. Humanity has the advantage of reason and can gainfully employ it to overcome the relative threat according to circumstance.

Aviva Rifka Bhandari

Fri 26th Feb 2021 12:26

Thank you Hope Ray for your comment and support.

Thanks also to everyone who has clicked 'Like' for this poem ?

<Deleted User> (28781)

Fri 26th Feb 2021 02:25

Good thought and advise.?

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The Growth Of Fear

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