Is it normal to fear?

Anyone who says that he has never feared anything is not telling the truth. All of us have at one time or another experienced fear, I believe. Alright, who am I to put words into other people’s mouth? Forget it, then. I have been in many situations, as a little bit of a rascal during my boyhood days, adventurous as a teenager, a care-free young adult, and a discipline teacher in two very notorious schools in Kedah.

As a rascal, I have experience the fear of being beaten by the rambutan estate people. As an adventurous youth, I have gone into forbidden, fenced territory in search of short cuts to a destination. Fear gave the legs of my friends and I speed and strength as we ran and jumped over fences and wide drains to escape fierce dogs. As a disciplinarian, I have faced gangsters, from outside, not without trepidation, who came thinking they could put sufficient threat to have me look the other way when students collect protection money.

Yes, there was fear, especially at the first incident of its kind. In my post of disciplinary teacher, experience taught me that the other party had as much, if not more, fear as I had, I understood that the first to buckle down would be the loser. For me, my duty gave me no choice but to meet those people when they claimed to be related to a particular student. Afraid to show my trepidation, I faced the ordeal with a bold front. As a physical educationist as well as a gymnast and a one-time body-builder, I was no weakling. However, as much a human as anyother, I felt fear. Fortunately, truth and rightfulness was on my side, forcing the other party to back down.

Fear and experience taught me how to handle such uncertain situations. Experience of success gave me courage. Courage was strengthened each time fear is overcome.

When I was young, I had always wondered whether others experienced the fear which arose in such uncertain, difficult situations where the element of danger was present. Today, after having had the courage to overcome so many frightful situations, I understand that fear as well as courage is present in all humans.

Both have their uses and I wish to tell you true stories, not just mine but also those of my close friends, so that we can share such feelings and improve ourselves as we understand ourselves better.

Of course, any story from you will always be welcome.