Fear is the key....

Of all the human emotions that play in the mind, fear is perhaps the one perniciously pervasive dimension that has the potential either to paralyze life or to change its paradigm altogether in radical ways.

Alistair Maclean, a popular author of thrillers of the sixties and seventies, whose bestselling books have been translated into blockbuster movies (including this one - Fear is the key), was a genius, in my view, to craft such a hard-hitting title that cuts straight to the core of life's most daunting challenges - conquering fear.

Consider the Covid-19 pandemic that is all around us, striking with panic across the world. Almost everyone on earth (except some brazenly foolhardy souls) is afraid. There is no foolproof vaccine yet, and no hope of a credible cure on the horizon,........ at least, not yet. We are hesitant to perform activities that otherwise they would have normally done as life's characteristic routines - going shopping, dining out, visiting public places, sending children to school, attending weddings or parties, travelling on a holiday etc. We are worried about the economy that has already plummeted to abysmal depths in many countries, including ours. We are apprehensive about the trajectory of the spread of the viral infection that shows no signs of abating. We are anxious about an uncertain future that looms on the horizon that seems to lead to a time that doesn't appear present a positive scenario for humankind at large.

Fear is that one emotion that hijacks the amygdala in the brain, paralyzing action in some situations, "lending wings" to flee in others or create unpalatable new complications in extreme cases. Is it possible to analyze oneself rationally, objectively and dispassionately at that moment when fear actually strikes? Realistically speaking, can an individual consciously pinpoint, during a crisis, exactly at which stage of the curve he or she is placed in the Kubler-Ross curve, while experiencing the situation in real-time? I guess not, most of the time, perhaps for most of us. Some motivational evangelists advocate moving from stage 1 (Shock/Denial) to the final stage (Acceptance/Integration) along the "Kubler-Ross curve" as rapidly as possible, to cope with the situation. My humble submission from experience is that this formulaic prescription to tide over fear consciously may neither be realistic, nor practical, as human beings are genetically programmed to dwell in the different stages of the curve for varying lengths of time, each one of us having a different residence time in each stage of the curve. And that is perfectly alright. The curve may well play out over time, and it will mostly be in hindsight that we will realize its effect and impact.

For those who would like to know more about the "Kubler Ross curve", here is a link as reference : https://www.ekrfoundation.org/5-stages-of-grief/change-curve/

Abraham Maslow, (a famous American psychologist) and Prof.Nitin Nohria (of the Harvard Business School), have mapped human needs along various dimensions, and notably, both of them have identified the need to feel secure (i.e.absence of risk and fear) as a primal human need for survival, in their respective models of motivation. . The human brain when confronted with anything new, which it has not encountered before asks itself the following questions: is this a friend or foe, an ally or a threat? The default genetic and neural wiring of a human being is predisposed to being ultra-sensitive to perceptions of "danger" - physical, social, psychological and even "reputational"- more than sensing happiness or pleasure, at the first instance. We are likely to be more on guard and on full alert when we enter a room full of strangers, or visiting a new location than remaining in familiar surroundings. Familiarity breeds comfort!

"No news is good news."

"A known devil is preferred to an unknown angel."

"Let's maintain status-quo."

Haven't we heard these before, and so often? Fear, especially of the unknown is all pervasive and ubiquitous.

Having said this, I do believe that fear is one lever that can act as a propellant towards human survival. The old adage, 'Fear lent him wings" finds expression in several situations which has averted several catastrophes, especially averting nuclear war, the mother of all devastation. During the cold-war era, the only deterrent that maintained an unsteady peace between the nuclear-armed nations was the fear of total annihilation and continues to do so in present times as well. This is one situation where I would like this sentiment to prevail over false bravado and impulsive foolhardiness which if unleashed could destroy all life on this planet without leaving any traces. "Only the paranoid survive", wrote Andy Grove, the former Chief Executive of Intel Corporation, many years ago. Those words ring true, and will surely survive the test of time.

Thus far, I have encountered three levels of fear:

Level 1 - Apprehension : a vague uncomfortable feeling that serves as an early warning sign creating sparks of doubt, which in turn leads to having reservations about any idea or course of action or decision.

Level 2 - Anxiety: being mentally and physically afraid; being visible with the expression of the feeling. Body language gives the game away; adrenaline and cortisol levels increase in the body. This sentiment can paralyze any intended action.

Level 3 - Panic: fear on overdrive and the individual in a frenzy, with the rational mind completely shutting down, and the amygdala going berserk - clearly a bad situation going worse.

Memories of earlier experiences remain embedded in the mind, that recollect all the fear elements associated with the past situations. The proverb, "once bitten, twice shy" is so relevant at these times. An earlier gamble in the stock market that went wrong, a public rebuke by the boss when voicing your own opinion in a team-meeting, or a high-stakes risky decision that in hindsight turned out to be a horrible blunder......all these will serve as formidable barriers to desired behaviors or required actions at crucial moments in the future.

What then, could be the antidote to fear?

In my humble view, there could be three primary ingredients, possibly along with many others, that can contribute to the concoction to combat fear:

(a) Hope

The elusive feeling of optimism. Look out for blips of hope on the horizon, and leverage them. Amplify the signals based on available evidence. The only risk here is that one can end up clutching at straws in the wind in the absence of evidence to reinforce the hope.

(b) Courage

The gut instinct to confront reality face-to-face, unshaken. The "Stockdale Paradox" come to mind here. This idea is a contradictory view of thinking, articulated by Jim Collins in his bestselling book, "Good to Great". The essence of this principle is that in an adverse situation, a dual mindset must be adopted simultaneously; on the one hand, one must accept the brutal facts of the current reality, while on the other hand, maintain an unwavering faith that s/he will prevail in the end. Ultimately, the paradox can be best understood and appreciated through personal experience. The Stockdale Paradox is at the core of the competency of resilience, particularly for individuals and organizations in the Covid-19 pandemic environment that we are now living in.

(c) Self-awareness and control

Key components of emotional intelligence (widely touted as the magic pill for leadership success in the corporate world), self-awareness and self-control can help to resist any "fear storm" invading the psyche (much like a "cytokine storm" invading the immune system during Covid-19 infection) while being complemented by the earlier inputs of hope and courage. All the three ingredients need to mutually reinforce each other for effectiveness. Rational and motivational self-talk is critical in such situations, to control panic, reign-in anxiety and eliminate apprehension.

To sum up, there are five primary human emotions - anger, disgust, happiness, sadness and surprise, the sixth one being fear. Perhaps, it is relatively easier to manage the first five, but dealing with fear consumes the greatest amounts of personal and emotional energy over time. While absolute fearlessness undoubtedly is a rare quality to be admired and applauded, I would hesitate to abandon the emotion entirely; it may well be the faint opportunity to deter risky misadventures and act as a counterbalance to reckless overconfidence.

P.S.: The video-clip linked to this article is an extract from the Hollywood movie, "High Anxiety", starring Mel Brooks (source: You-Tube)

Note: The above article/post, with its contents is the personal view of the author, expressed purely in his personal capacity and is not related to any specific existing organization, institution, group or individual. Any such perceived resemblance or derived linkage or relationship as such is purely coincidental and unintended.