The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear

and the oldest and strongest kind of fear

is fear of the unknown. [THREAD]

In this thread, I'm answering 3 questions...

1. The Truth On Why We Fear The Unknown

2. How FEAR Is a MEMETIC CONTAGION

3. A Three-Step Process You Can Use To Reprogram Your Fears.

- Truth On Why We Fear The Unknown-

Fear is primal.

When your ancestors slept

surrounded by darkness

their vision black

and hungry predators stalked their camp

Those who were able to control their FEAR

never ran and stood their ground

Those who ran off into the darkness

were hunted and slaughtered.

Those who did not fear hunting wild beasts

slept with full bellies

those who did

died with empty ones.

The physical effect is the same for everyone

Increased heart rate & high adrenaline levels

Making us more alert

The few who can control the response

Access flow states which increase their survival

Allowing them to think faster, move better & work harder.

Those who can't, lose control

And burn themselves out.

And that's because of the emotional response we have...

is MEMETIC.

//FEAR IS A MEME//

We've all heard about how we're the average of the 5 people we spend our time with...

But did you know that their fear response can also become yours...

FEAR is a type of MEMETIC CONTAGION.

A meme is a concept or behaviour that spreads from person to person.

It spreads through imitation.

For example, if you hear someone humming a tune

And then it's in your head

And you start humming

The meme spreads.

And the cycle continues.

Every group of people that's been together for long enough

Will have the same fears and the same responses

Unless you isolate or relocate

it doesn't matter how hard you try to reprogram your response

You will fail.

So, How can you REPROGRAM your fear response?

Here's a 3 step process to get you started...

1. Surround yourself with people who respond to fear better than you do.

And over time, you'll imitate their behaviour

and they'll become instinctive responses for you...

2. Enter The Cave.

We all have personalized fears which we've developed

from previous experiences, relationships or even childhood.

But we're not always aware of them all

It's usually just surface-level feeling

Through intense introspection, behaviour analysis & conversations with those close to you

You can find out what you truly fear

And then begins...

3. Systematic Desensitization

When you've discovered what you truly fear

You must DESENSITIZE your self to it

But do it SYSTEMATICALLY.

If you're scared of heights, don't climb the highest peak straight away.

Step by step, increase the heights you visit

Day by day increase the duration you're there

If you're scared of social contact

Converse with one new person every day

If you're scared to build and launch a new product

Test a smaller beta version first

Over time, you'll reprogram your psyche

And desensitize yourself to what you fear

Allowing you to move forward

Take life by the horns

And fulfil your true potential.

//Inspiration - Conversations with @robertgriker a few days ago got me thinking about fear