Fear and Its Opposite

[The Hammer]

Fear is a powerful and driving emotion...

One of the most powerful forces a human deals with on the psychic and spiritual realm.

We see fear used to direct and control groups of people all the time within modern politics and even religion.

I am under the impression that like the dualistic nature of the perceived universe itself, every emotion has an opposite that can balance it.

But what is the opposite of Fear?

I've heard some say it's Love, but doing something because you love another or yourself, does not negate the fear.

Courage? I don't think it's that either because even the brave and courageous are often still fearful.

I propose that the opposite of Fear is actually knowledge and understanding.
Because it is through knowledge that the fear of a thing or an event begins to lessen.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Fear is a powerful and driving emotion...

One of the most powerful forces a human deals with on the psychic and spiritual realm.

We see fear used to direct and control groups of people all the time within modern politics and even religion.

I am under the impression that like the dualistic nature of the perceived universe itself, every emotion has an opposite that can balance it.

But what is the opposite of Fear?

I've heard some say it's Love, but doing something because you love another or yourself, does not negate the fear.

Courage? I don't think it's that either because even the brave and courageous are often still fearful.

I propose that the opposite of Fear is actually knowledge and understanding.
Because it is through knowledge that the fear of a thing or an event begins to lessen.

How about calmness?

Fear typically lessens the second time around because one is better prepared and knows more on what to expect.

 

[Soandso]

Eh... Sometimes. Sometimes fear grows through knowledge when one learns something terrible they hadn't known before. Ignorance can be bliss at times

I'm not sure fear has an opposite. It might be more that fear exists in varying degrees within the context of what Stokes that fear. That said, fear can be soothed by different things. One thing people do to soothe their fears is to dissociate. Another thing they do is to compartmentalize their thoughts so they can devote special attention to that specific thing that they fear. We can see these things manifest in extreme situations with dissociative identity disorder

If fear has an opposite though, I'd say it probably has more to do with trust. Trust in your knowledge might soothe your fears. Trust that your God will help you with your troubles will do this as well. Trust in loved ones that they will have your back, trust in fate and that everything will be ok in the end, or trust that the medical care your doctor provides will help you to heal

 

[The Hammer]

Fear typically lessens the second time around because one is better prepared and knows more on what to expect.

Therefore the fix is knowledge. As that precedes calm.

 

[Quintessence]

How about calmness?

I'd generally agree with this.

Fear, or "concern" as we often like to put it in today's world, is a product of a combination of uncertainty and expecting the universe to somehow revolve around one's personal needs all the time (e.g., to never be personally inconvenienced). The moment you let go of the expectation for the universe to revolve around yourself and instead go with the flow of things - calmness - there is no fear. Another way to frame it might be to talk about cultivating non-attachment, as in Buddhism, or letting go of the sense of self.

 

[Revoltingest]

"Fear and it's its opposite"

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Fear is a powerful and driving emotion...

One of the most powerful forces a human deals with on the psychic and spiritual realm.

We see fear used to direct and control groups of people all the time within modern politics and even religion.

I am under the impression that like the dualistic nature of the perceived universe itself, every emotion has an opposite that can balance it.

But what is the opposite of Fear?

I've heard some say it's Love, but doing something because you love another or yourself, does not negate the fear.

Courage? I don't think it's that either because even the brave and courageous are often still fearful.

I propose that the opposite of Fear is actually knowledge and understanding.
Because it is through knowledge that the fear of a thing or an event begins to lessen.

Actually, I think that the "opposite of fear" (which is an emotion, after all) is confidence. Confidence that nothing bad is going to happen in the present circumstances.

You can see this in the animal world -- take pigeons or squirrels in the city, for example. They need to find food, but people and pets, cars and other hazards are ever-present. Too much fear, and there's the possibility of not getting enough to eat (or in the case of squirrels, enough to bury or store). Too little, and -- well, they might become dinner or road-kill themselves. Just today, I was walking along my street in mid-town Toronto, and there was a squirrel burring some maple keys right beside the sidewalk. Though (s)he was aware of me, (s)he didn't stop until I was about 5 feet away, and even then only backed off to make the distance more like 8 feet, and as I kept going without seeming to pay attention, the squirrel "felt" confident enough to return to the hoard when I was only a foot or two past him/her.

This is the tragedy that is facing the United States, at present (or so I think). So many Americans are terrified that gays or trans-folk are going to corrupt their kids (they can't), or that black folks, Jews or somebody else is going to "replace" them (not going to happen). That fear is making them do crazy things, like going along with Trump's MAGA rubbish. Most of the rest of us, having actually spent some time getting to know the gays or trans-folk, the blacks, Jews, Muslims and Hindus -- even (gasp!) the French (Canada) and Latino (US) -- to feel confident that they're pretty much just like us. They want to get along, maybe even get ahead, and live their lives in peace along with everybody else.

 

[The Hammer]

"Fear and it's its opposite"

Fixed

 

[Kenny]

Fear is a powerful and driving emotion...

One of the most powerful forces a human deals with on the psychic and spiritual realm.

We see fear used to direct and control groups of people all the time within modern politics and even religion.

I am under the impression that like the dualistic nature of the perceived universe itself, every emotion has an opposite that can balance it.

But what is the opposite of Fear?

I've heard some say it's Love, but doing something because you love another or yourself, does not negate the fear.

Courage? I don't think it's that either because even the brave and courageous are often still fearful.

I propose that the opposite of Fear is actually knowledge and understanding.
Because it is through knowledge that the fear of a thing or an event begins to lessen.

In context of my signature… it would be faith and love. Faith in love, in our understanding, pushes fear out.

Of course, I am not talking about being fearful of a 16 wheeled semi coming at you. I would let fear motivate you to move in that case

 

[The Hammer]

In context of my signature… it would be faith and love. Faith in love, in our understanding, pushes fear out.

Of course, I am not talking about being fearful of a 16 wheeled semi coming at you. I would let fear motivate you to move in that case

Like courage, faith that someone or something will save you, does not mean you're not afraid until the danger abates or you are rescued.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I think one sense as to the opposite of fear would be indifference or simple acceptance - depending upon the situation.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I think one sense as to the opposite of fear would be indifference or simple acceptance - depending upon the situation.

^^THIS^^

Speaking as one who lost the sense of and ability to fear 16 years ago, I would say of all the suggestions present in this thread, this is the most accurate description of what replaces it. In situations where others have told me that I should be afraid, it was replaced by either indifference or acceptance of the situation over which I had no control.

Regarding @Twilight Hue says about calmness, there is a sense of calmness in such situations as well, but I would say that's more the opposite of the agitation and unsettled feeling that fear brings rather than the opposite of fear itself.

 

[Kenny]

Like courage, faith that someone or something will save you, does not mean you're not afraid until the danger abates or you are rescued.

There is much truth in what you say but I think it goes beyond just “something or someone will save you"

Courage can be the accompanying disposition of faith. But it isn’t just “something or someone will save you” but rather the impetus to confront the difficulty before you.

As an example, the story of David and Goliath was David trusting the God he served, eliminating the fear that had the Israeli armies captive and giving him the courage to fight a situation larger than him.

EDITTED:

Could courage be the outgrowth of faith?

 

[Revoltingest]

Fixed

I have to fix a lot of that same thing in my posts.
If I'm lucky, I catch & edit it before my fellow
grammar nazis rub me snoot in it.

 

[Gargovic Malkav]

Fear is a powerful and driving emotion...

One of the most powerful forces a human deals with on the psychic and spiritual realm.

We see fear used to direct and control groups of people all the time within modern politics and even religion.

I am under the impression that like the dualistic nature of the perceived universe itself, every emotion has an opposite that can balance it.

But what is the opposite of Fear?

I've heard some say it's Love, but doing something because you love another or yourself, does not negate the fear.

Courage? I don't think it's that either because even the brave and courageous are often still fearful.

I propose that the opposite of Fear is actually knowledge and understanding.
Because it is through knowledge that the fear of a thing or an event begins to lessen.

Fear can drive people to do horrible things.
On the flip side, if I had no fears at all, I believe I'd lose my ability to care about others.

I believe a lack of fear can lead to a state of inner peace, but it can also lead to self-centeredness.
It's like a double-edged sword to me.

I feel the benefits of fear, or negative emotions in general are often underrated in the environment I live in.

 

[Gargovic Malkav]

Speaking as one who lost the sense of and ability to fear 16 years ago,

Was this the time your daughter passed away?

 

[SalixIncendium]

Was this the time your daughter passed away?

Yes. Good memory!

 

[osgart]

Courage is in the face of fear so it deals with fear, not an opposite.

Faith, or confidence in and toward something, seems to be the opposite of fear. Of course knowing and understanding causes this type of alleviation of fear.

Acceptance is often a matter of coming to terms with a fear and i wonder if that actually replaces the fear or merely regards its presence.

Whatever fearlessness is is the real opposite of fear though.

Fearlessness causes one to feel a sense of security that resolves the fear. So security is fearlessness which is fear's opposite.

The way i explained it, i think is factually what it is. And if you think about it and sort it out then that is actually what the opposite of fear is.

Aha!, a self evident truth i don't have to corroborate to know. Wonderful! Then again i can corroborate this with my own experience of actual fear, and fearlessness. And of course i'm sure there are more self evident truths that await.

 

[anna.]

Fear is a powerful and driving emotion...

One of the most powerful forces a human deals with on the psychic and spiritual realm.

We see fear used to direct and control groups of people all the time within modern politics and even religion.

I am under the impression that like the dualistic nature of the perceived universe itself, every emotion has an opposite that can balance it.

But what is the opposite of Fear?

I've heard some say it's Love, but doing something because you love another or yourself, does not negate the fear.

Courage? I don't think it's that either because even the brave and courageous are often still fearful.

I propose that the opposite of Fear is actually knowledge and understanding.
Because it is through knowledge that the fear of a thing or an event begins to lessen.

I don't think there's an emotional opposite. Knowledge isn't an emotion, and further, knowledge of what I fear doesn't lessen my fear, it just defines it. Gives it a shape, maybe.

I like that you think about these things, and make me think too. But in the moment of fear, if it's a danger-based fear, I think our reaction is often (usually? always?) down to instinct. Our subconscious will act before we're even cognizant of it.

 

[The Hammer]

I have to fix a lot of that same thing in my posts.
If I'm lucky, I catch & edit it before my fellow
grammar nazis rub me snoot in it.

Yup. English is hard sometimes. Damn words that sound the same.