Limits to Fear and Audacity?

Recently, I was lauding the superiority of audacity over fear, but didn’t leave enough room to underscore the importance of fear under certain circumstances and likewise, the pitfalls of limitless audacity. 

It’s clear that when we’re in survival situations some of the fear we experience cannot be discounted altogether as it often is salutary. That’s right, fear sometimes comes to the rescue for our own good and we must listen to it if we value our life, our health or comfort. If we take a few moments, it’s fairly easy to see when fear is totally warranted and that’s when it deserves our full attention and total respect. 

The same is true with fearlessness or audacity. That trait goes in the opposite direction, feeds on adrenaline and can very rapidly take on an addictive nature that can make us believe in our own invulnerability and eternity. 

That deviance is much harder to seize and to control than fear, as humans tend to easily believe in their own hubris, or BS, if they fail to pay close attention. So we must always remember that a healthy dose of personal humility always goes a long way to save the day.

I believe that keeping these guard-rails in mind at all times can save ourselves from some big, ugly trouble!