Have you ever wondered why you like the bad guy so much when you watch a movie or read a novel? You cannot quite seem to put your finger on it, but there is something alluring about being afraid. Sure, we lash out at fear from time to time. We hate fear when we are under the impression that it is causing us harm. And sometimes fear does cause harm by crippling us with irrational phobias. Anyone who has ever seen a three hundred pound adult male screaming like the female lead in a horror film over the sight of a mouse knows this all too well. Sometimes fear can make us irrational. This is certainly true. However, fear is an emotion, just like love or happiness, and, like all emotions, it has a very distinct evolutionary purpose. Though we may no longer need the intense fear that is felt when living in a jungle and seeing a wild animal all the time, even this extreme fear has its uses, especially when we are confronted by terrorists, cult leaders, rapists, and other bad actors who mean us harm. But there is a much more rational use for fear than simply evading predators. Fear motivates us to achieve and make goals for ourselves. Often times what motivates us to change careers or to pursue the impossible is a fear of being unwanted, undervalued, forgotten, or left behind. We fear some things that are actually pretty awful, such as failure, disappointment or rejection. None of those things have any real benefit. So, the fear in these situations is actually the motivator to change, not the problem. When fear is functioning properly, it instructs us and informs our decisions. Perhaps we avoid certain situations we know are dangerous. But why do we do this? Because we are afraid of the consequences of course. Perhaps we refuse a particular substance because we have heard on the news that this particular substance causes harm; again, fear in this situation actually benefits us instead of making us act irrationally. It is completely rational to fear the consequences of ingesting foreign chemicals, especially when those chemicals are on the black market or have not been tested for quality. Then there is the classic example of domestic abuse. Is it irrational to fear having the living daylights beaten out of you in the name of "love"? Of course not! We should absolutely fear this and we should use that fear to escape the undeserved punishment. So, in short, fear gets blamed too often. A person without fear is a person who does not understand life, a person who has no business lecturing you on how to live your life and a person who can cause you great harm if you let your guard down. High levels of fearlessness is also closely associated with psychopathy. So, be afraid...but don't be very afraid. That would be overdoing it.