Concern vs. Fear
Do we love the act of living, or do we hate the idea of death?
We are living in unprecedented times.
The world is now more interconnected than ever, which makes today a particularly challenging time to separate one’s own cocktail of thoughts and emotions from external, often competing forces.
Turn on the TV; your local news outlet has an urgent message for you. Click to another channel, and you may witness national news promote a conflicting view. If you’re fortunate enough to do so, pick up the phone and call your mom. What does she have to say? Have you consulted medical professionals? Discussed the situation with friends? Held internal dialogue while reading an article to yourself online?
Each voice has an agenda. Many of which appear to work against each other, at least on the surface.
In my opinion, this creates madness. Allow me to help make sense of it.
Take an insidious virus; couple it with competing belief systems; add a dash of misinformation; subtract all the toilet paper… Welcome to a global playpen of fear and anxiety.
The thing about fear and anxiety is they make it hard to determine a clear course of action. Thoughts of disease, scarcity, losing loved-ones; on top of regular or existing concerns, leave no space for clarity or sound judgement.
Yet, our sound judgement is what influences our collective well-being. It’s what determines our ability to make meaningful decisions and progress. Sound judgement positions us to live.
Here’s where the difference between fear and concern come into play.
Fear is a natural response that is triggered by anything that looks, feels, or sounds like a threat. Our bodies are neurologically wired to look for anything that could be perceived as harmful. It’s the fight, flight, or freeze response when shit hits the fan.
Fear is fueled by worry and generates stress.
Concern, on the other hand, is action-oriented. It’s supported by proactive measures. Level-headed decisions that look to protect and sustain what is growing and thriving. Concern is a form of curiosity. Facts are acknowledged, assessed, and risks are calculated from a space of mental clarity.
Concern is productive energy fueled by emotional intelligence.
While there are subtle differences between fear and concern, they do have a similar function. Both act as signals to direct us toward a particular course of action.
Fear is an emotional charge to push away death. Concern encourages action towards improving and sustaining life.
As we await answers and seek solutions over the next few weeks to months, I want to urge readers to prioritize concern as opposed to acting on fear. Let emotional intelligence guide our actions. Choose to be a source of compassion. Check in on loved ones. Plan proactively. Avoid mental exhaustion from external energy drains. Limit your intake of pessimistic information. Stay in touch with reality. Care for your mind, body, and spirit.
Know that none of us are in this alone, and we will in fact see our way through it together.
In conclusion, I leave you with a quote from the great Maya Angelou:
