Empathetic power of fear

One of the most powerful quotes of all time is Umberto Eco's, 'Nothing gives a fearful man more courage than another's fear.' It speaks of the power of motivation when one is knocked down. It implies that when faced with fear, one's courage can be bolstered by the fear experienced by others. This is cathartic and creates an opportunity to use the fear of others as a catalyst to proactively tackle challenges rather than allowing those challenges to paralyse us. Fear is a universal emotion, and it's important to understand that more or less, every individual has it. This is a comforting thought, nay, an assurance. The empathy of fear binds us together. It's like, 'Dil bahal to jayega, iss khayaal se/ Haal mil gaya tumhara apne haal se' - my heart will feel better after realising that we're sailing in the same boat.

The comforting assurance that I'm not the only 'fearful' person may help us go on without throwing in the towel. To quote Urdu poet Aafaaq Kashmiri, 'Ek akela tu hi khaufzada nahin/ Aur bhi log hain tujh se zyada khaayaf' - you're not the only fearful person/ Others are even more fearful than you are. Fear's egalitarianism brings all of us together and places all humans on the same (ordinary) plane. Mind you, human emotions are universally empathetic. Even a so-called negative trait, instinct or emotion has a deeper connotation. Humans are dovetailed because of the medley of emotions; fear being the most overwhelming of them.