Fear

[sww914]

I surf all around California. The Central Coast, where I live, is really sharky. I'm afraid of sharks. A former landlord of mine makes shark films and he specializes in great whites. You've seen his films. I asked him about how common they are in my area and he told me that every single time I EVER surfed around here a great white saw me. EVERY TIME. He insisted that great whites do not eat people. He explained that every great white attack in California that he knows about can be explained as a case of mistaken identity or a small warning nip.
I don't allow myself to think about sharks when I'm surfing.
I was reading death statistics recently. I learned that every year in the US, twice as many people die under vending machines as are attacked by a shark, much less are killed by a shark. I do not walk by the Pepsi machine in fear but I'm afraid of sharks.
Some of our fears are irrational.

[muskoka]

Everyone has a different tolerance for risk. And there's nothing wrong with that. The basics of dealing with it are to truly come to grips with the real (as opposed to imagined) risks of what you're doing. Understanding risk doesn't always put it to bed, but for most activities, it gives you a mental model which lets you deal with it.

In most endeavors, fear is something you can train for. In the sense that the biggest fear is not knowing what to do in critical situations - the mind goes blank, but the training kicks in. If you've practiced something even a couple of times you'll be amazed how a bit of adrenaline and that practice make you perform. And also, how it changes your view of your capabilities.

[Pelagic]

Fear is for the most part a conditioned response although some argue an excess in the natural production of noradrenaline will make it much worse.

To me, the issue is not so much “Fear”, but how we manage it.

This requires a person to step outside their personal concerns, becoming field independent and observe as if this was happening to someone else.

It is accomplished mostly with training in emergency response, an evaluation and practice of performance when in Dream State and whether thru faith or conviction, the confidence to know that you will prevail.

[Don1500]

If you have no fear, you're not paying attention.

[Capt Phil]

Good point, Don... having had the sh*t scared out of myself more times than I can remember, I've tried to understand the mechanism that kept me alive.
Not everyone handles fear the same way but the normal response in my observations are either 'flight or fight'.
If one reacts to fear with 'flight' that can be seen as shutting down, panicing and being unable to control your thoughts and the actions rendering people incapable of even the simplists of tasks for survival. On a boat there is no where to physically run to.
One the other hand the 'fight' reaction many times results in clarity of thought, specific, defined actions and a steady, almost icy demeanor.
The latter also is particulary apparent in natural leaders/skippers in a life threatening situation.
I don't think either is a quality that can be learned but rather a reaction that folks are born with.
I spent many years at sea commercially and have seen many men and a few women tested in survival mode. The folks that really held it together universally fell into the 'fight' response.
Just some observations from real life at sea over about 50 years... Capt Phil

[boatman61]

Gives emphasis to the expression... "Use it or 'Lose It'...."

[Sam Plan B]

I used to sail with a belt and suspenders type guy. He wanted two of everything aboard. And then a back up for those. It got to be contagious and I started to list and plan and list and plan. I have a 40 foot boat but that didn't seem near big enough for the new water maker and rebuild kit and the gen set to power it and extra fuel tanks for the gen set...and in the end, the trip didn't happen. Then I realized that taken to the logical conclusion I would need a second hull as a back up for the first. And that is how the catamaran was invented.

[goboatingnow]

He explained that every great white attack in California that he knows about can be explained as a case of mistaken identity or a small warning nip.

How many body parterre do you loose to be considered a "nip" !!!!' from a great White

Dave

[smurphny]

Of all the stupid, life-threatening things I've ever done, I think sitting in a kayak, rounding a turn in a raging river, hearing the rumble of the whitewater, and seeing the river slope down steeply has got to be the scariest. Once in the whitewater, you don't have time to be afraid because you're reacting and making decisions in microseconds but being at the top of a big drop is certainly intimidating.

[Don1500]

Originally Posted by Capt Phil

Good point, Don... having had the sh*t scared out of myself more times than I can remember, I've tried to understand the mechanism that kept me alive.
Not everyone handles fear the same way but the normal response in my observations are either 'flight or fight'.

The fight or flight response to fear is sometimes automatic. Flight is the best answer in some cases. If you found that a hurricane had formed that could impact you course, would you not change course? And fear of the hurricane is why you took flight. Fear is not always immediate, and fight is not always the answer.

[Capt Phil]

The fight or flight reaction was intended to speak to what happens once the hurricane hits. Course changes to avoid bad weather is just prudent seamanship IMO.
But once the fat is in the fire, so to speak, how folks react under extreme duress defines how they will perform. You're dead right, the response is automatic and that is precisely what defines leadership qualities in severe situations. Capt Phil

[hummingway]

I think fight and flight shouldn't be confused with the reaction to the release of adreneline. For some people this results in panic, which is the crippler but more akin to be frozen then to reacting with flight, for other people it results in an increased focus.

[sww914]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

How many body parterre do you loose to be considered a "nip" !!!!' from a great White

Dave

One part.

[Don1500]

Originally Posted by Capt Phil

The fight or flight reaction was intended to speak to what happens once the hurricane hits. Course changes to avoid bad weather is just prudent seamanship IMO.
But once the fat is in the fire, so to speak, how folks react under extreme duress defines how they will perform. You're dead right, the response is automatic and that is precisely what defines leadership qualities in severe situations. Capt Phil

Fear is still the reason you avoid hurricanes (avoidance is a flight response). Waiting untill you are stuck in a hurricane leaves only one option, fight. But you are fighting to get the heck out of the hurricane, in other words, it's a flight response. If you find yourself in a pool full of sharks you would not consider the fight option, you would get the heck out of the pool. Even if that means fighting a shark or two. Both the fight and flight option are viable, each has it's place and time. And each shows leadership when applied under the correct conditions. Using either at the wrong time is when disaster happens.

[FearfulGirl]

Was that blog post written by me, by any chance?