Being fearless versus learning to control your fears?

Discuss the June 2014 book of the month Divergent by Veronica Roth. While only Divergent--the first book of the series--is the book of the month, feel free to use this subforum to discuss the rest of the series or to talk about the movies, but make sure not to post spoilers unless noted in the topic title.
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Shadowhunter123
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Re: Being fearless versus learning to control your fears?

Post by Shadowhunter123 »

There is no such thing as being fearless. There will always be fear in the world, no matter what. Controlling your fears is being aware of what you are afraid of and then overcoming it. Controlling your fear is much more brave and strong, because how can you have the strength to overcome something if it isn't there?
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Post by lmoses »

As a social worker who works mainly with teenagers, fear plays a huge role in what they experience. Fear of being rejected, fear of the future, even fear of their own emotions. What I try to do, is help them see that fear is a normal emotion but it can't control your life. I think fear is needed in our life to tell us of danger but to also let us know what is worth taking a risk for. Tris states "half of bravery is perspective" and to me the best example is that I think firefighters, police, and military are brave for putting their life on the line but to them they see it as an everyday job and do not often consider themselves heroes. Being able to control and manage your fear is a huge step in life that people are constantly learning to do.
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Post by P_hernandez »

There are so many good perspectives in this thread! I feel like fear is a natural reaction to an unknown. Without fear our human existence would be cut short. Our brains would communicate a false sense of invincibility. I think embracing your fears, spending time figure why you are afraid of that thing, and coming to terms with whatever you find are the only ways to live with yourself and not going crazy.
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Post by Booky_BettyC »

I think being fearless is more about facing yours fears and moving forward, without hesitation, even though there may be some fear. Having to control your fear is more anxiety based. Once the anxiety about something is dealt with, the fear is control and possibly gone or very little.
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Post by Sloray689 »

I I believe someone could only be truly fearless if there is something wrong with their brain. Fear is a natural chemical response in the brain. It was one of, if it not the most, important survival instincts we have. Being fearless, truly fearing nothing, would lead a person to be utterly reckless. Controlling your fear on the other hand, is feeling fear, acknowledging the fear and the danger that is causing it, but choosing to move forward into a dangerous situation anyway. Hence "half of bravery is perspective" If you are faced with a dangerous situation, but need to push through it, say to rescue a loved one or help a friend, then you are brave because although you know your actions are dangerous, you know that the consequence of not completing them is worse. So you make the choice to calm your fears, and do what you are afraid of despite them.
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Post by DustiRose3 »

I believe you can never truly be fearless. Fear is a basic human instinct that keeps you alive. Without it you would never be cautious. For example, you could fearlessly walk through a heard of buffalo, but you will be perceived as a threat and killed. If you used caution, you would walk around the heard and stay away, thus staying alive. Controlling your fears means you recognize the threat and proceed in the best way to stay alive. It also means you can live your life without the constant worry that fear may ignite; you know it is their, but you can always handle it, meaning you can handle anything. When Tris says brave is just your perspective she is talking about facing and controlling your fears. Swimming may be easy and fun for some people, not requiring them to be brave, but to others it could be a trying challenge. To someone who has a fear of deep water it is very brave of them to jump into said water.
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Post by bookreviewer2016 »

I don't think people can be fearless. Fear is built in biologically so we don't hurt ourselves. Being brave is a matter of perspective because how you think about the thing that scares you will determine whether or not you act. If it's important to you, you will do it anyway, even if you are terrified by it. Also, your perspective on what is more frightening can determine how you act. For example, you might be scared of sharks, but you'd probably jump in the ocean to save a loved one. The fear of losing your loved one would override your fear of sharks.
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Post by Mares Nest »

I think there's a huge difference between both. You can be an emotionless psychopath and kill people or walk into things without thinking, fearlessly. It doesn't take much. Some people are just wired that way. And then there are people who will walk in the dark even though they're afraid, because they have to. I'm not saying fearless people are particularly insane, you can be fearless when you've learnt to control yourself, when you're over them. But to some, they just aren't scared of it. Learning to control your fears is a slow art, and that's what Tobais practiced. Tris simply saw it as a problem and found a solution.
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Post by fari30 »

I don't think anyone can be truly fearless, regardless of what it might seem like. Heck, if someone constantly puts up a fearless front, they might fear being seen as weak! I also admire people who have a fear of something and confront it, learn to control it rather than let it control them. It's the same way I admire someone who might not be the brightest tool but works a lot harder to achieve success more than someone who is brilliant but lazy.
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Post by George30 »

Learning to control your fear. Simply because fear is your friend (or at least it can be). You'd probably be dead by now if you didnt have any fears at all.
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Post by smhawkins »

I don't believe anyone can be truly fearless. That's a part of what makes us human. We're vulnerable and we're flawed. It's what we decide to do with our fear that shapes the decisions we make. If we let fear dictate our decisions, thus our life, this is why many people settle for a mediocre life. An extraordinary life comes with taking risks. To take risks, we must learn to control our fear and jump into the unknown (which is a personal fear of my own).
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Post by Taylor Razzani »

I agree that it would be hard for anyone to be completely fearless. Learning to control your fears and face them with a brave face may make you seem fearless, but I don't believe that would be the case. But that necessarily isn't a bad thing. You can have fears and still be brave in spite of them, isn't that what being brave is all about? There's a song that goes, "never let your fear decide your fate", so as long as you don't let your fears rule your life, you could be considered fearless.
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Post by Enuella »

The difference between being fearless and learning to control your fear is NATURE
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Post by Yemurai »

I think being fearless is madness or just recklessness. Everyone has fears, it's only human to be afraid of something and I believe you feel a sense of accomplishment when you learn to control themyour.
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Post by 0719672189 »

Fear isn't a bad thing it serves as a warning for bad consequences, one just needs to learn to control it so that it does not limit their capabilities.
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