Fear (March 8, 2019)

Fear

Willits's Weekly Wonderings Nine (4)

What is fear? Why does it matter?

In my former role as a high school science teacher, I would ask my students for abbreviated definitions of complex concepts as a method of formative assessment (i.e. a check for understanding). It seemed like the more simple we made the definition, the deeper our understanding. This led me to ask my class, "In one word, describe/define . . ."** If we were to attempt to generate a similar understanding of school, what would we determine? In one word, what is the goal of school? While a variety of answers would be accurate and accepted (if you were students in my classroom), I am of the belief the goal of school is to learn. Unfortunately, one other word often inhibits that goal, not only in school, but also in life. Let's talk more about fear. Later in this email, I'll link a (longer than I'd prefer) video that addresses fear directly and it's potency to negatively affect our learning. But first, as has been a common practice in many of my "weekly" emails, let's find some examples from movies. I may be undermining the value of this discussion with the movie I am about to reference, because, it is bad. But, just like there is immense value in The Karate Kid III (because of the ending, the development of the relationship of Mr. Miyagi and Daniel-San, and the music) even though overall, it's a terrible film, there is also value in the Will Smith box office bomb After Earth. To be clear, this movie is bad, except for the preceding one minute clip on our current topic. Let me contextualize the clip. The movie takes place 1,000 years in the future on Earth, which has been overtaken by alien creatures that are able to attack humans by "seeing" their fear. A select few humans (Will Smith's character being one of them) are able to "ghost" by hiding their fear in a way that makes them invisible to the alien creatures. Will Smith is delivering this speech to his son, who has yet to develop the skill of ghosting. After Earth scene (1:03)

Fear is not real.

The only place fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. . . . Do not misunderstand me, danger is very real. But fear is a choice. We are all telling ourselves a story . . .

The second movie is a much better movie, and offers a different perspective of a fearless character.

Bridge of Spies (2:34) In the face of fear, or rather in the absence of it, our fearless example responds to an inquisition of fear with, "Would it help?" While the protagonist in the second film is very different from the first, I think he is employing the first's ideology by identifying fear as, first and foremost, a choice. In his circumstances (deemed dire by his associate), fear proves unhelpful and therefore evaded. Let us turn now to our last (and longest) video, which tackles fear directly in its influence on learning. For those unable to listen to the full video now, let me highlight some excerpts applicable to our current discussion. Overcoming Fear (22:36)

"Fear is the number one enemy of learning." "Every single day, our fear is robbing us of experiences, actions, and reps, and opportunities that can help us grow and get better." "When has fear robbed you . . .?" "Sometimes when we feel that fear, we come up with stories to justify our actions . . ." " 'When you try to fight [fear], you are giving it more power.' " "The goal isn't to get rid of fear. It's to use it, instead of it using us." The research clearly shows that the best way to deal with fear is not to suppress it or get rid of it; it's to accept it, own it, and reframe it." Interwoven in all three of these different examples of fear is another significant theme--stories, the most important of which are often the ones we tell ourselves. Two questions are worthy to ponder, and if you are really brave, ask your adolescent (or even braver still, ask yourself!) next time you experience adversity: What are you afraid of? What story are you telling yourself? Perhaps we can reframe our answers in alignment with our two protagonists in our efforts to grow, achieve and . . . learn. I love being your student's school counselor. If there is something you would like me to know to do it better, please hit "reply." Grant W. Willits 5-8 School Counselor (712)722-3783 (x2120) **As an aside, I've curiously pondered a similar phenomena in music, as some of the best (or at least my favorite) songs have short, often one word titles. This has left me wondering if the shorter the title, the better the song. Here are but a few examples from a variety of genres: great song with one word title; another great song with a one word title; still another great song with a one word title;