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The Fear of the Unknown
We create schedules, routines and habits to build an illusion of certainty, linearity and an expected order of events and circumstances.
Governments, religions and institutions know this mental need of certainty and create an illusion of stability in peoples minds by providing them with rules, laws and rituals.
Even if we know something is certain, it may or may not be true, just a trick of our mind for it to feel stable.
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Key Ideas
“We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality.”
We misunderstand the value of fear when we think that being constantly hypervigilant will keep us safe.
Being afraid all the time doesn’t keep danger away from us. Instead, we need to learn to recognize key signals that could predict risk, in order to actually feel calmer and safer.
When we walk around terrified all the time, we can’t pick out the signal from the noise.
If you’re constantly scared, you can’t correctly notice when there is something genuine to fear. True fear is a momentary signal, not an ongoing state.
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Key Ideas
Life doesn’t really go according to plan; yes, some people will do exactly what they set out to do, but you never know if you’re one of those.
So if you can’t control the future, focus o...
The best things in life will most likely be hard, and if you spend your life avoiding discomfort, you’ll miss out.
One of the most important skills you can develop is being okay with a degree of discomfort. If you get good at this, you can do anything.
If you can accept uncertainty, you’ll be open to many more opportunities.
If you’re afraid of uncertainty, you’ll skip starting a business, for example. You can’t really know for sure how things will turn out, and so if you have this need to control the outcome, you’ll avoid great opportunities.
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Key Idea