First off, we need to make it clear that we are talking about fear, not a scare. Fear is a choice we make, many times unwittingly, that promotes caution. Some caution can be useful; fear, however, often leads to an overdose. And fear comes in different forms. Because of this, fear influences the way we treat it, which exacerbates the consequences.
Fake Fear
Not all fear is based on real threats. Sometimes we get in our own heads, fabricating fantastical situations that are completely illusory. But just because something isn’t a real threat doesn’t mean the effects of fearing it aren’t real. In his book Start with Why, Simon Sinek wrote about the power of fear—even if only perceived.
If someone were to hold up a bank with a banana in his pocket, he would be charged with armed robbery. Clearly, no victim was in any danger of being shot, but it is the belief that the robber has a real gun that is considered by the law. And for good reason. Knowing full well that fear will motivate them to comply with his demands, the robber took steps to make his victims afraid. Fear, real or perceived, is arguably the most powerful manipulation of the lot.
Our minds are capable of imagining incredible things. Without this capability, we wouldn’t have much of what we enjoy today, such as flight, finance, and art. We also might not be here. Our ability to imagine potential threats from predators allowed humans to prepare for what might happen. Yes, this is done on an individual level, but more importantly, humans can collectively work together to mitigate imagined threats. Yuval Noah Harari talks about this in his book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.
Large numbers of strangers can cooperate successfully by believing in common myths. Any large-scale human cooperation – whether a modern state, a medieval church, an ancient city or an archaic tribe – is rooted in common myths that exist only in people’s collective imagination.
But in a world of hyperactivity, an overactive imagination leads to hyper-anxiety.
The world doesn’t have the same ubiquity of threats as it used to. We as a civilization have removed much of what our ancestors had to struggle through every day for survival. But our minds haven’t changed as quickly as our domestication of the world has. That lag—paired with the flood of constant information at our disposal—is fertile ground for unproductive imagination that leads to paralyzing fear.
The Contagion of Fear
A paramount reason fear is so dangerous is that it’s contagious. Once again, this has proved valuable to our species in the past. One member of the group being afraid is enough to attract the attention of the entire group. For real threats, the group can address them together. But for false threats, the entire group becomes deluded.
Delusional fear breeds irrationality in individuals and downright chaos in groups. It takes strong leadership to redirect emotions in a group away from chaos. Franklin Delano Roosevelt knew this was required of him in 1933 during his inaugural speech, a time when the country was mired in pessimism and fear.
So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life, a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. And I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.
Defeating Fear
Fear is defeated by confidence. Confidence is like a bright light piercing through the dense, cold shadow of fear. But how do we get to confidence? It’s not like we can feel fear one moment and then be miraculously confident the next.
One way is through the same method in which fear is spread: influence. Just like how someone’s fear is transmissible to others, so too is one person’s confidence. It’s important to understand just how powerful this is. When fear is gripping a group, make an effort to show authentic confidence in order to move the group away from paralysis.
Ryan Holiday offers logic and empathy as steps in the direction toward confidence. In Courage is Calling, he writes:
Life is still unpredictable. There is so much we don’t know. Of course we’re easily alarmed. Of course we’re at the whim of our fears and doubts. The only way through is to attack that fear. Logically. Clearly. Empathetically.
Holiday hits on an important part here when he says there is so much we don’t know. We humans fear the unknown. But that’s where logic comes into play. Logic is a tool for making things better known than they previously were.
Holiday also rightly includes empathy as a means of overcoming fear. Empathy entails understanding and alignment. We must understand our fear, or at least our reason for it. Likewise, we need to empathize with others when helping them through their fears. When we empathize, we don’t leave room for shame. And without shame, we are more easily adept at becoming confident.
Mastering the Tools
Mastering the tools for combating fear puts you in a strong position as an individual and as a member of a team. These tools are also necessary to be an effective leader for yourself and others. Like most things, this skill set isn’t magically acquired. It requires thoughtful practice and discipline.
After a while, a funny thing happens: you come to naturally eradicate fear before it has a chance to take root at all. Then you’re able to do more than others who are bound by fear. You’re able to push further. To do more. To bring others with you further than they could go themselves. What an empowering mindset that is.
