FEAR
An what is the number one fear humans have? Public Speaking! Jerry Seinfeld illustrated it well - ¨According to most studies, people´s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, If you go to a funeral, you´re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.¨
Each one of us boldly faced the number one fear humans have. I do not think anyone should downplay the courage they have shown in this classroom nor forget about it. In the future, at times when fear seems to be seeping in, remember the power that resides within you and the strength you exhibited in this classroom. This course isn´t even a requirement and the fact that each one of us got up here - multiple times, well, I personally think that deserves recognition.
by Ilana
It´s dark out, and you´re home alone. The house is quiet other than the sound of the show you are watching on TV. You see it and hear it at the same time. The front door is suddenly thrown against the door frame. Your breathing speeds up. Your heart races. Your muscles tighten.
A split second later, you know it´s the wind. No one is trying to get into your home, you are safe. For a split second you reacted as if your life were in danger, your body initiating the fight-or-flight response that is critical to any animal´s survival. But really, there was no danger at all. What happened to cause such an intense reaction?
FEAR - an emotion mentally and physically paralyzing. We´ve all experienced it. We wouldn´t be human otherwise. Today, I want to talk to you about FEAR.
Fear is a chain reaction in the brain that starts with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that cause a racing heart, fast breathing, and energized muscles, among other things - also known as the fight-or-flight response. Does this response sound familiar to you?
The brain is a profoundly complex organ. More than 100 billion nerve cells compromise an intricate network of communications that is the starting point of everything we sense, think and do. Some of these communications lead to conscious thought and action, while others produce autonomic responses. The fear response is almost entirely autonomic. We don´t consciously trigger it or even know what´s going on until it has run its course. The stimulus could be a spider, a knife at your throat, the sudden thud of your front door, or even speaking before a room full of people.
An what is the number one fear humans have? Public Speaking! Jerry Seinfeld illustrated it well - ¨According to most studies, people´s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, If you go to a funeral, you´re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.¨
Today, I speak here before you about FEAR to point something out. Some of you may already be aware, some of you may not. But, nevertheless, I cannot let this opportunity to speak my mind go by without making sure I said my peace.
Each one of us boldly faced the number one fear humans have. I do not think anyone should downplay the courage they have shown in this classroom nor forget about it. In the future, at times when fear seems to be seeping in, remember the power that resides within you and the strength you exhibited in this classroom. This course isn´t even a requirement and the fact that each one of us got up here - multiple times, well, I personally think that deserves recognition.
So, whether your biggest fear IS public speaking, or sharks, or the dark, or something absurd like the fear of red socks - whatever it may be, congratulations to all of you for the completion of this course. And thank you Professor Piccillo for your wisdom and guidance throughout it.
