Aristotle On Fear

Everyone is afraid of something. It is only human instinct. Do you remember when you were a child and you were afraid of the boogeyman? Every little kid was afraid of the boogeyman at some point of their childhood, but there was a time where they just stopped being afraid. But how was this achieved? Was it because they got older and wiser and realized the boogeyman doesn’t exist or was it because they faced their fears? Most people who live in fear don’t realize that facing their fears is the first step to overcoming them. Fear, of course, is not always bad sometimes it is very much needed to survive, but it is only to a certain extent. If fear limits you to live a normal life then you know there is a problem. For example, if you’re a doctor

People overthink all their life thinking something terrible will happen even though there is a possibility it won’t. According to Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, people often fear things or events that do not or will not happen to them. They live with fear when in reality if those things actually occurred they would not be as fearful. In “Expectation Management” Aristotle states that confidence is the opposite of fear and when people live with confidence there will be no place for fear. For instance when people are in a dangerous situations if they react to it calmly and with confidence it is either because they have experienced it before and have learned to face the situation, or because they have stayed with a positive mindset and believe they have got what it takes to overcome it. Towards the end he claims, “...We believe that we cannot and shall not fail, or that we shall succeed completely” (Aristotle). What many people do not realize is that the power of just believing and having a positive mindset will have a tremendous effect on how they deal with their fears. Another person who shares an alike opinion is Lucius Annaeus Seneca, a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and—in one work—satirist of the Silver Age of Latin literature. Seneca states in “Superfluous Torment” that people often suffer more in imagination than in reality just like Aristotle did. In other words, they

The thoughts we have of ourselves have a significant role in how we act and succeed. But did you know that the way you stand or pose also has a high impact in our thoughts? In the opinion of Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist who researches on body language, “Our bodies can change our minds...and our minds change our behavior...and our behavior changes our outcome” (Cuddy). She argues that the way we sit, the way we talk, anything that has to do with our body language has an impact on how other people see us but also how we see ourselves. It all comes down to our mind and how powerful that mind is. For example, if people have a positive posture before coming into an interview it will have a better outcome than as if they get nervous or make themselves feel small or crumb themselves. Posing confidently has great power on your mind. It gives you confidence and when you have confidence you believe you can achieve anything no matter how hard it is. Having confidence also makes no space for fear therefore people will no longer be nervous and will be on the road to success. Thinking positively has a great impact on how people’s minds deal with problems, fears, or anything life throws at them. Just as Eduardo Briseno, Co-Founder and CEO of Mindset Works, states in his November 2012 TED Talk. He says that the key to achieving your goal is something bigger than yourself. It is actually believing you can accomplish anything even if at first