Fear and the Gift of Fear.

The other day on Oprah I watched Gavin de Becker

talking about the gift of fear.

I think I have been looking at fear as a feeling of

scary helplessness, a feeling you should overcome.

Or even ignore.

Here comes a man and talks about the gift of fear.

What kind of gift is that?

Well, according to what I now understand, using your

very sensitive radar when you feel the sense of fear,

this may become a gift, helping you to survive.

Here are some of what I found on Amazon.com about this book:

Author Gavin de Becker says victims of violent behavior usually feel a sense of fear before any threat or violence takes place. They may distrust the fear, or it may impel them to some action that saves their lives. A leading expert on predicting violent behavior, de Becker believes we can all learn to recognize these signals of the "universal code of violence," and use them as tools to help us survive. The book teaches how to identify the warning signals of a potential attacker and recommends strategies for dealing with the problem before it becomes life threatening.

The idea that the sense of fear may indicate

warning signs for danger, that it is a positive thing,

and that particularly women should use this

more, is intriguing.

PS. I also know that unwarranted fear is a curse,

so knowledge of how to know the difference is important.