Coming to Terms with Fear
Understand, share, overcome
On a sunny Sunday afternoon in October 2019, I had a serious spill from a bike coming down a hill full speed. It left me badly bruised and scarred. Seconds before the spill I felt invincible having done the same slope at full speed scores of times on a manual bike. The difference was that this time I was on my GenZe electric bike with a battery-operated motor. Towards the end of the slope, I let my brakes go as I had done previously so many times with my manual bike. The motor gave a power surge to the bike, the sudden acceleration exceeded my ability to control the bike and I fell face forward into the gravel. Luckily my hands broke my fall to some extent. As I got up, slowly and painfully, a fellow biker stopped to offer help and advice. An Argentinian gentleman older than me, said, “You know, you should have turned the motor off at the top of the slope”. Duh!
For the next five months, I rode my GenZe only on flat ground. Fear kept me from doing the ride up and down the hillside where the accident occurred. Then, on another nice sunny afternoon once again, I overcame my fear. Following the Argentinian gentleman’s advice, I carefully rode down the slope on my GenZe and it felt great. I’ve done it weekly since then so that it has become routine. This has led to the following reflection.
My bike spill and the Coronavirus involve the fear of injury or ill health. These relate to Maslow’s second level of needs, safety, just above physiological needs. But there is a difference. For most of us, the Coronavirus threat is fear of the unknown whereas my fear from the bike spill was based on direct experience. Fear of the unknown is perhaps more salient because it cannot be quantified. Fear that is based on experience can be calibrated. I would be injured in a second spill to the same extent as the first spill but probably not die.
Fear of the unknown is more salient because we don’t quite understand the how and the why of its genesis. We don’t have an easy solution for coping with it. Science helps but it has its limitations.
There are many other fears. There is a fear of losing a loved one, who may have a terminal illness. I’ve experienced fear of anticipated failure, fear of punishment, fear of the law. Others may have fear of being socially shamed. There is fear of violence from known sources, fear of retaliation. Also fears of losing a job or making a wrong decision.
Of course, there are irrational fears, such as fear of the dark or fear of being alone.
Nervousness or discomfort has something in common with fear, though milder in intensity.
We need to recognize our fears, describe and categorize them. This helps us understand them. If we share our fears with others we may get the support we need from them. Finally, we may be motivated to take the actions we need to overcome them.
