Chapter 4: Fear of the Unknown
FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN is really a misnomer. It’s not like anyone, when making a list of their fears, is going to say, “Hmm, let’s see…Things which inspire fear: Mean dogs, Spiders, climbing tall ladders, heavy traffic, and, Oh yes…The Unknown.”
We have all observed that some people, certain personality types, relish risk-taking in various doses. They thrive on the little jolt of adrenalin that taking risks produces. A little measured anxiety, a little bit of uncertainty, a brief elevation of their heart rate, etc, creates an arousal state that they enjoy and seek. Some have labeled these personalities as Type “T” for the Thrill-Seeking personality. (It should be pointed out, however, that even Type “T”s typically take fairly careful steps to mitigate their risk to manageable levels. High speed ski runs are carefully planned, parachute equipment is vigilantly inspected, and scuba gear is religiously maintained. Why?…so they can live to experience another thrill. It’s a pretty simple question.)
Others are not so. They have either learned, or were born with, a desire to reject the sensation of anxiety, to be distressed by the presence of the arousal chemicals (the “fight or flight” chemicals) in their brain and body. In a sense, you might say these people “fear the sensation of fear.” These people avoid risk. They seek to diminish uncertainty.
Fear of The Unknown, for purposes of this book, cripples us from making a rational and accurate comparison of the risk between continuing in the behaviors and circumstances we’re in, and making a radical change of course. This happens when fear serves as a lens to magnify the size of the uncertainty associated with change.