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Fear Is a Framing Problem

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One of the things I find most fascinating is that we are born into the world crying. The inertia of the first breath is such an overwhelming sensation that it makes us scared, resulting in a cry that acts as a surrogate for surprise. Fear is the first emotion that strikes us, and life is about continuously navigating the residue of that impact. Much of what we do in our day-to-day lives is to mitigate fear, mostly as a means to reduce uncertainty. We set up to-do lists so we can approach tomorrow with intention. We build habits so we can anchor our attention in an ocean of chaos. This is our attempt to ground ourselves in something reliable; something we can predict that gives us a sense of calm. The problem, however, is that anytime we look to the future or revisit the past, we reintroduce fear. When using the future as your lens, fear takes the form of expectations. When using the past as your lens, fear takes the form of rumination. Today, I want to go into these two perspectives, a

Fear Is a Framing Problem Archive ↓ Best Posts All Posts Recent Posts Newsletter Book Courses ↓ Thinking In Stories The Examined Writer Reflections Fear Is a Framing Problem By Lawrence Yeo One of the things I find most fascinating is that we are born into the world crying. The inertia of the first breath is such an overwhelming sensation that it makes us scared, resulting in a cry that acts as a surrogate for surprise. Fear is the first emotion that strikes us, and life is about continuously navigating the residue of that impact. Much of what we do in our day-to-day lives is to mitigate fear,

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