I was chatting with a friend when I was overwhelmed by one of the less pleasant emotions. My chest grew tight. My palms were sweaty. I was in a chokehold and my tormentor was an intense feeling of dread. I asked my friend whether he ever felt like this, seemingly without a reason.
He said he did, but suggested that one shouldn’t run scared. I paused. I hadn’t said a thing about running scared. I was no coward. What I was referring to was a mere moment’s pause. Permitting silence; Listening to the beating of your heart as its pace increased and asking yourself why you feel that way. I couldn’t quite move on. There was now a question in my heart. Is being afraid the same thing as running scared? I should think not!
Whether we fear animals; people; experiences, we all know fear. Whether we learn it as a child or much later in life, few escape fear. But our varied circumstances have influenced the way in which we address our fear.
Do we run away or do we confront them; do we seek help or do we go it alone? We have learned from family, friends; from mythology and from our past. Are we expected to act blindly though? Or should we pause and assess the situation? I am a firm believer in the latter. Being afraid is normal- or at least common.
But we should never run into any situation, familiar or unknown, without a
plan. It may seem ridiculous or irrational to pause, take stock of all the variables and then react. Indeed, some situations require an immediate response. But the process of assessing a situation can go by surprisingly fast- such is the power of our brains. So why not take the cautious route?
Think of the chaos that is associated with the term “running scared”. I don’t see the one who chooses this route surviving his battle with fear. While the common factor is that shared fear, “being afraid” can refer to a temporary state. However, running doesn’t guarantee an escape. Pursuit is the likely outcome. And from there, it’s anybody’s guess which party will be victorious.
Often, fighting fear takes all the strength and courage you have. But strategy is an excellent element to have in your arsenal. And to have a sound strategy, you must assess the situation. While there is nothing wrong with being scared- as we all have been or will be in our lifetime- never run scared. Act in faith; act with wisdom. Act only after you have a plan. You can beat fear. But you must be well prepared, in order to do so.
