Healthy Fear & Unnecessary Fear

Lord Krishna to Arjun “If you fight, you will either be slain on the battlefield and go to the swarga (heaven), or you will gain victory and enjoy the kingdom on earth. Therefore, arise with determination, O son of Kunti, and be prepared to fight”. (Bhagavad Gita 2.37)

‘I win or I learn, either way I gain. No reason to be afraid of failure”’ Jaganathan

Sloka 2.37 is an indirect reference to managing #FearOfFailure.  Lord Krishna has given multiple references about fear in #BhagavadGita. Let us see some references but before that a debate on ‘Is fear always bad and unnecessary”?

#WhatIsFear

Fear is a basic, intense emotion aroused by the detection of imminent threat, involving an immediate alarm reaction that mobilizes the organism by triggering a set of physiological changes.

#IsFearAndAnxietySame

Fear differs from anxiety in that the former is considered an appropriate short-term response to a present, clearly identifiable threat, whereas the latter is a future-oriented, long-term response focused on a diffuse threat. Some theorists characterize this distinction more particularly, proposing that fear is experienced when avoiding or escaping an aversive stimulus and that anxiety is experienced when entering a potentially dangerous situation. Whatever their precise differences in meaning, however, the terms are often used interchangeably in common parlance

#IsFearPositiveOrNegative

You commonly see your movie heroes touting that they don’t know the meaning of fear!! I remember the character introduction to Chief Vitalstatistix in my favourite Asterix comics, ‘the Gauls had only one fear: that the sky may fall on their heads tomorrow’. Is it possible not to feel the emotion of fear ever? Not possible. Fear is not a negative emotion per se to avoid all the time.

Some people enjoy certain types of fear willingly like roller-coaster rides, freefall adventure and horror movies whereas some other despise these.

Fear is experienced in your mind, but it triggers a strong physical reaction in your body. During a staged fear experience, your brain will produce more of a chemical called #dopamine, which elicits pleasure and that is why you end up enjoying pleasurable horror moments like horror movies and roller coaster rides.

#FearIsNotPhobia

The difference between fear and phobia is simple. Fear is a common reaction to events or objects. But a fear becomes a phobia when it interferes with your ability to function and maintain a consistent quality of life. If you start taking extreme measures to avoid water, spiders or people, you may have a phobia.

It’s important that we experience fear because it keeps us safe. Fear is a complex human emotion that can be positive and healthy, but it can also have negative consequences. Problem is in not understanding this difference.

Arjuna got into a situation where his fear was unfounded and negative. ‘Fear of fighting a war’ is not bad at all if it helps to make a logical reasoning for arriving at the right decision about the war. But it gets into the negative side when it still refuses to go after making the decision to get into the war and standing in the battleground facing the array of warriors.

#HealthyFearAndUnnecessaryFear

As part of series of advice to Arjuna, Krishna explains to him the difference between situations of positive fear and negative fear ie situations where fear would be beneficial and situations where fear must be removed.

प्रवृत्तिंच निवृत्तिं च कार्याकार्ये भयाभये | बन्धं मोक्षं च या वेत्तिबुद्धि: सा पार्थ सात्त्विकी || Bhagavad Gita 18.30||

Intelligent mind understands the difference between proper action and improper action, what is duty and non-duty, what is to be feared and what is not to be feared, what is binding and what is liberating.

Bhaya + ābhaye in this sloka mean what should be feared and what should not be feared ie understanding where there is healthy fear and where there is unnecessary fear.

Examples of healthy fear include fear from fire, fear of working in an environment where there are open electric wires. Examples of unnecessary fear include Fear of a public speech, Fear of facing a competitive exam, etc.

More research on fear from #BhagavadGita will continue in #MondayMusings

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#PositiveNewsPage

From Breakdown to Breakthrough - Stories That Will Change How You See Failures

Adapted from https://thebetterindia.com/

In continuation of the last week’s #PositiveNewsPage where the inspirational story of how a failed and dejected UPSC aspirant #KajalSrivastava grew into a successful entrepreneur. One more such success story of #FromBreakdownToBreakthrough this week.

Veda Gogineni, founder of Earthful

Veda was working at a lucrative job at Deutsche Bank in Mumbai, with the opportunity to move to London right in front of her. Still, in 2015, she made a life-changing decision — she resigned to pursue her UPSC dreams.

She moved from Hyderabad to Delhi and began preparing with all sincerity.

“I survived on savings in a cramped 10 ft room that I shared with a roommate. It cost me Rs 15,000 a month. The living conditions for aspirants are extremely poor in Delhi. I would spend most of my day at the library,” she recalls.

Despite four sincere attempts and having dedicated three and a half years to preparation, Veda could not clear the UPSC exams.

“Sometimes, I would miss the cutoff by a mere one mark. The whole exam takes one year. So, even if you fail at any point — in prelims, mains, or the interview, it means you have to restart. The exhaustive cycle of preparing, failing, and restarting drained me,” Veda adds.

Recognizing the toll on her well-being and prompted by her mother’s advice, she decided to step back.

n 2020, Veda pivoted to entrepreneurship and co-founded ‘Earthful’, a plant-based supplements company, along with her sister, Sudha. The startup gained notable recognition on Shark Tank India, where it secured a Rs 75 lakh investment. This marked a significant milestone in her journey as a co-founder.

Reflecting on her UPSC experience, Veda sees no regrets. She emphasizes viewing perceived failures as steppingstones rather than endpoints.

“It’s easier said than done. It takes time to come out of that phase of failures and to accept that it is not a failure. You can achieve your final goal in whichever way you want to, but you, as a person, should bounce back from that,” she advises.

Kajal and Veda did not crack the UPSC. But they cracked something far more valuable — the courage to rewrite their own stories. And that, in itself, is a success worth celebrating.

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Conceived, compiled and posted as a weekly motivational newsletter #MondayMusings by Jaganathan T (www.authorjaganathan.com) every Monday consistently for the past 311 mondays without missing a single monday ever.

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