A noise in the night or a worry about the future or fret from the past. Your heart starts racing, your breathing gets more rapid, and you become acutely aware of your surroundings. Some describe it as a wobble.
Do you consider a careful response? Probably not – Shoot first and ask questions later, hide in your closet behind your clothes, or stay in bed trying not to make a sound, is more likely. This known as the fight, flight, and freeze responses to fear. Even if you have not experienced this exact scenario, you have probably been through something similar. We’ve all experienced fear. Fear sharpens the senses to potential dangers while preparing the body for fight or flight. It is a call to action.
As a youngster, my father taught me to respect not fear God. Of course, for him and me, God is or was, a metaphor. He taught me that by being curious about what was fearful, we could learn to respect it. ‘Curiosity’ , he explained ‘fed through education leads to understanding’ he linked that to greater awareness. In many ways, it is an alchemical principle, of turning fear to respect.
Research suggests that respect fosters positive interactions between groups, reduces conflict and facilitates working together to create solutions instead. Perhaps this is because respect embraces differences and advocates interconnectedness. Very often, we simply need to be curious about and connected to ourselves. Never stop being curiou
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