Karen Thompson Walker conveys to her audience that the careful analysis and examination of fear is important, and can be beneficial to our lives. Walker goes on to indicate that in order for these analyses to be effective, however, they must be in regard to those of our fears that are rational, realistic, and more pertinent to ourselves.
While the classification of our own fears is obviously a highly subjective matter, certain fears that adult humans have (i.e. that of a random attack from a serial killer, or of a sudden unforeseen natural disaster) are much less likely (albeit not impossible) to occur. Moreover, Walker establishes the unfortunate fact that many human beings tend to ignore the more realistic of their fears (i.e. formation of plaque in their arteries that could lead to heart problems, small yet macroscopic changes in global climate, etc.) and focus on the aforementioned irrational ones.
[youtube height=”500″ width=”800″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwgWkUIm9Gc[/youtube]
The overall objective of Walker’s talk was to instill an idea within the audience that fear is not necessarily negative, and should not always be avoided. In fact, by embracing our rational fears, and by examining them with a cool sense of judgment (without interference of emotions) we can improve our lives and better prepare for the future.
[divider scroll_text=”Back To Top”]