I learned about the virtue of fear when preparing for my wife's childbirth, in "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth." Counterintuitively, mothers who have the least fear of childbirth tend to have the worst outcomes. Giving birth is complex and risky. Moms who either dismiss all concerns or defer all fears to the medical system end up overwhelmed and face more medical interventions. The best outcomes come from mothers who acknowledge their worries and respond with learning and preparation—separating real risks from myths and developing tools to mitigate those risks.
This principle extends beyond the delivery room. Success in life isn't about dismissing fears or surrendering to them, but calibrating them to reality and... (read 171 more words →)
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http://lesswrong.com/lw/r7/quantum_physics_revealed_as_nonmysterious/