What is Fear? Fear is something that can be seen, such as failures in business, relationships or health. Or, it can be something we conceive in our minds. We can breed it so completely in our thoughts that it can cripple us to the point where we won’t leave our homes and are afraid of any personal contact.

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said it best in his inaugural address, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” This suggests that fear takes on a life of its own. We all think of negative ideas as our minds wander. Maybe we are preparing ourselves for failure, so we won’t be disappointed when it happens.

As young men at our first dance, the girls and the boys were on opposite sides of the room, staring and talking. Fear was present, with palms sweating and courage in our throats as we tried to make eye contact with the girls we thought might say yes.

There’s more to this in the current issue of the Times Virginian newspaper. Support local journalism by purchasing the issue at a local newsstand or subscribing at www.timesvirginian.com/subscriber_services to receive the print edition or view the full article in the e-edition version.