Fear - Haiti Observer Blog

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, popularly referred to as Nelson Mandela was born on 18th July 1918 in South Africa's Transkei. He was the son of Tembu Tribe's chief Henry Mandela. He studied in College of Fort Hare and University of Witwatersrand. In 1942, he attained his law degree. In 1944 he joined the African National Congress and joined in a resistance in 1948 against apartheid policies of the then ruling National Party. During 1956-1961, he was held on trial for treason but in 1961 he was acquitted.

Newsmaker Interview: Nelson Mandela, 1990

In 1960 when ANC was banned, Mandela proposed a military wing in ANC. In 1961 however, this proposal was considered to be a violent tactic and yet allowed the willing members of ANC to join Neslon Mandela's proposal without any fear. As a result, Umkhonto we Sizwe was formed. Mandela was arrested and sentenced to imprisonment with hard labor for a period of 5 years. In 1963 several Umkhonto we Sizwe and ANC fellow members were arrested and Mandela was once again charged for plotting the overthrow of the ruling party/government by using violence. In 1964, Mandela along with 7 others was sent for life imprisonment.

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Fear is one of the most common and most powerful kinds of emotion that every human being experiences at some point.
Fear is a mechanism or a response to a certain stimulus that could be associated to danger, horror, or pain.

The universal emotion of fear has two stages, first is a biochemical reaction and the second is an emotional reaction. A biochemical reaction usually involves several physical traits such as sweating, increased heartbeat, and adrenaline rush. During this stage, an individual undergoes a mental process of "fight or flight" where he or she prepares the body to react either by facing the situation like going in battle or to run away. An emotional reaction then happens, which is fear. This stage could determine the experience of fear as positive or negative. Extreme sports and horror films usually have a positive bearing to fear, but most fearful experiences are often dealt with and perceived negatively such as accidents.

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Despite fear being universal in all human beings, some individuals could actually lack the sense of fear in a given situation.

Yes, fear is beneficial in identifying danger and preparing for it, but what if one does not feel fear despite the danger?

The absence of fear is characterized by one's neglect of any risks that could happen when faced with a dangerous situation. This is solely situational of course, depending on the individual and the factors at hand. When it comes to motherly instinct in animals for example, a mother fearlessly fights off a predator much bigger and stronger than she is when the life of her offspring is threatened. This is also the case for human beings when children are involved.

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They steal, rape, kidnap, and kill their way into many people's fears. Aside from these threatening uninvited visitors, the ordinary household could turn into a danger zone because of the simplest of objects and areas. Knives, loose electric wires, flights of stairs, and even a banana peel could prove to be very fatal.

Fear dominates the existence of the human race. That is why some businesses try to make money out of it. Billions of dollars are spent on products and services that supposedly ensure the safety and well-being of an individual. This is what people pay for the sake making their fears come true, but to what extent?

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A panic attack begins suddenly without warning. They can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

The fear experienced during a panic attack is so intense the sufferer feels like they are going to die or lose their minds.

When a panic attack occurs with a first-time victim, they often believe they are suffering a heart attack, or having a mental break-down. They will frequently call for paramedics and end up in the emergency ward for tests and observation.

A panic attack originates in the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), and symptoms vary from chest pain to lightheadedness to numbness and tingling sensations, among others. During the attack, the SNS releases large amounts of epinephrine, the fight-or-flight response hormone.

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