Snippets of Fear

Fear affects us all in some way; no one is completely immune from its icy clutches. It comes in all shapes and sizes, from a fear of tiny insects up to the fear of Death. Like all human traits, it evolved for a useful purpose, namely, to keep us safe from harm. Curiosity might tempt us to take all types of risks; fear holds us back.

Of all our emotions, it is possibly the most basic and motivating. In some cases the motivation is to face it down and come out feeling stronger. This must be the case for those who work in dangerous jobs such as firefighting and deep-sea diving. Others take up extreme sports for perhaps the same reason.

As a subject in its own right, fear fascinates us. In this book many people, past and present, reflect on various aspects of fear. It gives us much to think about...