Quote:Fear is a primitive human emotion, and it relates to ego or self. As human beings we come to a place where it is possible to shed fear. We have the resources to make sound judgements without this instinct, and schooling ourselves to master it only grants us a more complete control of ourselves.
I maintain what I said at first. Fear is the only enemy
I would disagree with this on a number of principles :
1. I would say fear relates to self-preservation.
2. You cannot physiologically shed fear, it is a part of who we are as humans.
3.You can deny or ignore fear, but that doesn't eliminate it. If you deny or ignore it, then you cannot fully reason what effect it will have on your judgement (for you are denying/ignoring/not thinking about it).
4. I would have thought it well accepted (though I've never checked) that the best way to control emotions is to accept and guide them, rather than fight them (You've mentioned something about 'schooling ourselves to master it', but said nothing about how you believe this is done - the field of Neuro Linguistic Programming offers an interesting insight on this topic btw.)
5. How does your belief relate to war situations? Or are you excluding such from your claim?
However, if you are talking about fear, as fear bred out of (unjustified) paranoia, then I am in almost full agreement with you - such fear is an enemy.
edit : I just remembered an interesting bit of information. I read a book recently on an Australian Air Ace called Nicky Barr (he was the only Australian to have received both the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Military Cross - ie Airforce and Army medals). He believed that fear made commanders more carefully weigh their decisions.He said he distrusted any commander who did not feel fear, for he believed they were the ones most liable to get their troops killed. He lived in a war, but his is of course, only one point of view.
