In the previous article (this article), I mentioned how to reduce fear and anxiety. Empathy makes us focus on one point in the future. On the other hand, logical sense shows us the transition of our sense of values. The latter calms us.
Let’s talk about it in more detail with an example.
How to reduce fear logically
Sometimes, we want to reduce fear. It prevents our changes.
However, we sometimes cannot eliminate it. A fatal risk is too terrifying to ignore. We wish neither death nor the worst situation.
That makes us seek hope and a breakthrough, although we know it is the other side of the same coin.
Unexpectedly, I found a solution. Rationality can make hope and a breakthrough unnecessary. Today, I will explain why.
Empathy vs. logical sense
A logical perspective shows us that we don’t need to focus on each worry. It allows us to discern fatality and moderate countermeasures.
To explain it, let’s look at our senses. If we are empathic and logical, we have two senses of judgment, as follows:
- Empathy can focus on only one point in the future. It always increases the severity of any risks to their maximum level.
- Logical sense focuses on the transition of changes. Although we cannot feel the fatality of each risk, we can understand the moderate countermeasures of each point by knowing the phase of the cycle. That makes emotional worries unnecessary.
This distinction tells us that the latter—logical thinking—can handle the future risks more appropriately.
Empathy that maximizes the fatality
Empathy cannot take into account the fatality of risk. It always maximizes the risk to its highest lethality.
For example, we have various concerns, such as money, health, stress, the meaning of life, being disliked by others, feelings of guilt, failure, excitement, and relaxation.
When we are empathic, we assume they are all deadly. If we are anxious about money, we are terrified of the horrible image of losing all our money and starving to death. If we worry about the meaning of life, we imagine the stress of dying meaninglessly. If we feel guilt, we envision the worst life that only ends up hurting people while making nobody happy. Even if we mistake sugar for salt, we will feel tragic if we are too empathic.
All of them stress us out. Even if the actual suffering just before death is only for several seconds, we now continue to feel the mental pain for hours or sometimes months. Naturally, we are exhausted.
Rationality and moderation
On the other hand, rationality allows us to overview the transition of our wants as a whole.
We understand that there is a cycle. If we use money, we might satisfy the feeling of guilt. However, it creates concerns about money. That makes us pursue frugality and earning. However, seeking them causes doubt about the meaning of life. That drives us to live our way of life. However, it brings us the feeling of guilt because that behavior betrays someone’s expectation. We have gone back to the beginning of the cycle.
Rationally speaking, it doesn’t make sense to imagine the worst case at each point. This is because there are levels of risk. Some are light, but some are lethal. Based on it, we can allocate our resources and maintain a balance in moderation.
In other words, we can add worries rather than eliminating them. That is an effective way to calm down.
There are many contradictory anxieties. We often realize that we sometimes desire the trouble we currently have. For example, a feeling of guilt provides a meaning of life. Being frugal and earning gives us our way of life. They are what we desired at one point.
That awareness allows us to assess lethality moderately. It would tell us that most anxieties are far from fatal. It can fulfill our other wants.
In addition, we can understand that countermeasures are more important than feeling the risk. It is more reasonable to seek one improvement measure than to continue worrying.
Then, if we don’t come up with any effective ideas, it is rational to wait and stop the wasteful use of resources. Continuing to worry is a wasteful behavior because it consumes our energy. It is a similar act to wasting money. Waiting while relaxing is a more effective behavior in such a situation.
Rationality allows us to allocate our resources moderately according to the cycle. We can understand that the current anxiety is a blessing at some point. By considering various concerns from a logical perspective, we can understand the true severity of those issues.
Conclusion
That is why rationality can make hope and breakthroughs unnecessary.
We don’t need to focus on each worry. Logical sense allows us to discern fatality and moderate countermeasures.
This perspective might help you reduce your fear of the future.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
