Fear of the Unknown

Are you afraid of ghosts? Does the thought of witches haunt you at night? If the answer is yes, have you ever questioned yourself about why such thoughts disturb you? The answer is simple. It’s the fear of the unknown that bothers us so much that we start panicking even at the thought of it. Nobody has ever seen ghosts (at least no one has given an unequivocal first hand report till now), they have just originated out of the numerous stories we all have heard since childhood. And since they are something we haven’t seen, it’s easier to get scared by them.

And it’s not only ghosts people are afraid of. It can be anything which is unknown. Human psyche is such that we need to be sure of the thing, the person, the place, the situation we are going to face. When we are educated about the object in front of us we feel confident in tackling it. There are very few people in this world who dare to jump into the world of unknown and not get jitters.

I was going to get married to a stranger who was working in USA. I had to make up my mind to agree to this commitment knowing that I would have to live there with just my husband, sans family or friends. I was scared. I had a lot of apprehensions. USA was not my land. There was no family there. There weren’t any friends either. I was born and brought up in India and was so comfortable here because I could relate to it in numerous ways. The thought of living in an alien land sent shivers down my spine. Then, very calmly and understandingly my would-be-husband talked me out of my fears. He made me realize that it was just the unknown I was being scared of. Once I got acquainted with the place and the people, I would get as comfortable there as I was in my motherland. He had also gone to USA for studies and didn’t know anyone there. The decision then was entirely up to him. Did he want to subjugate his desire of studying in one of the best universities of the world and stay back in India or did he want to fight against his fear of the unknown, plunge into the new world and wade his way through whatever life had to offer. He assured me that he made a decision he was proud of and that I should also think wisely before regretting the choice I made. Though my mind was still juggling between yes or no, my heart told me to accept the offer. And today, I am thankful to my husband who helped me look beyond the clouds of doubt. Today, I feel very fortunate to have had the best of both worlds.

Each one of us faces such situations in life where we have to take decisions without knowing what to expect in return. We can either choose to be the frog of the well or leap outside the well into the ocean of opportunities that might be lost due to this fear of the indefinite, the unidentified. The ultimate decision is yours. Before rebuffing something just ask yourself if the plunge for the unknown would be worth your effort and then just go for it at the slightest affirmative inclination of your mind and heart.