Assignment 8

Fears: Everything (life, future, anything that might impair academic performance, health, failure, heights, etc.)
Annoyances: Arrogance, argument/debate, contemporary pop culture, ignorance, material excesses, reality TV, and political zealousness.
Accomplishments: I can play the guitar
Confusions: Balancing academic, athletic, and extracurricular activities; decisions
Sorrows: Work
Dreams: Success, happiness
Idiosyncrasies: I tend to be fairly anxious
Risks: Challenging courses
Beloved Possessions: My collection of books (then and now), my old gameboy (then and now).
Problems: Organization, time management, and school

"So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is...fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."- Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his first inaugural speech

The preceding statement, by perhaps the greatest, strongest, and most effective leader that this country has ever witnessed, is absolutely correct its underlying message, yet even when I think of this quote with its immensely thought-provoking implications concealed behind compelling rhetorical pretense, the fear that I experience on a daily basis remains as perpetually distressing and persistent as ever. This fact holds true for most everybody; everybody experiences fear to varying extents. Fear is instinctual, and many species of organisms on Earth, including humans, are biologically predisposed to perceive fear as it presents a survival advantage to those organisms fortunate (or unfortunate enough) to possess it. Fear allows people, and other organisms, to sense potentially life-threatening situations so that these individuals may have the ability and drive to avoid these situations if at all possible. Fear of the most basic and primordial dangers, such as heights and ferocious animals, have been characteristic of common human fears since the earliest man. However, within the past few millennia, humans have come to fear other matters that they have associated with a successful life, including monetary wealth and possessions. In a society where competition has become part of the national identity and culture--where there is pressure among academics and scholars to maintain grades and attend challenging colleges--fear of academic pursuits has become a significant stressor in the modern world. Considering that I am already an anxious person, this fear of success one of my worst fears.