Nicole Freestone

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January 8, 2016
Period 6
The Power of Fear
What is fear? Many of us are unsure why we are afraid of something. But once
we learn the definition of fear we begin to realize why we have fear. Fear is the belief
that someone of something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or threat. The key word in
this definition is belief. Belief is the acceptance that a statement is true or that
something exists. So fear you are believing in something that isnt true, or something
that does not exists. Fear exists by letting someone or something enter into your mind
and overtake your thoughts. As stated by Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the
Half Blood Prince it states, It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and
darkness nothing more. However, fear can be overcome by the light, or something that
is comforting. Being prepared for fear can be a comfort to anyone by them knowing that
when fear does arrive at their door that they will already know, and be prepared to do
what is necessary. Fear can be easily overcome by, the complete opposite of fear, by
the comfort of something or even someone. Comfort is an asset in conquering fear.
When a mother hears her child, or any child for that matter she immediately
stops what she is doing, and rushes to her childs side and tries to comfort her son/
daughter. The comfort she can provide can be as little as rocking in a rocking chair
while holding the child or it can be something like giving her son or daughter and
blanket and a stuff animal. All of these give comfort to the child making him, or her feel

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Safe and comforted. The mother is supporting the child in every way that she can. In a
talk given by Marion G Romney it states, through those stirring and never-to-beforgotten childhood experiences it was difficult for me to understand the doctrine of
peace in ones heart while there was war in the land. But even then my fears were
tempered some as I saw and listened to my sainted mother lull her babies to sleep. The
words of the songs she sang comforted me. Some of them have been ringing in my
mind through all the years of the intervening two-thirds of a century (Ensign, paragraph
8). As you can see a small little song comforted him through the rough days of his
childhood. One person can make a difference to fear, like the mother supporting and
comforting her child, but the world can make a difference in destroying fear. After the
bombing attacks in Paris, there was a lot of fear all around the world. In this bombing
ISIS had people, with bomb vests on them, go around Paris and ignite the bomb. By
them doing this they caused fear, not only all throughout Paris, but throughout the whole
world. However, the world was smarter than ISIS. Instead of letting fear control them,
they controlled fear. The following is an excerpt from the article Outpouring of Support
for France.
In most big cities, there are large buildings or monuments that are famous. For
Instance the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada or the London Eye Ferris wheel in
London, England. Last week, many of them were lit up in the three colors of Frances
Flag; Blue, white, and red. In that way, the countries were expressing their support
for

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France. People around the world have also been gathering in support, holding vigils

(Peaceful, supportive gatherings) often outside their countrys French embassies. In

Canada, people gathered in many cities across the country including Quebec City,
Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto.. In Paris on the weekend,
many
People stood in line for hours to donate blood to help people wounded in the attacks.
On Twitter, many people used the search #porteouverte (open door) to let people
who
Had been hurt or frightened by the incident know that if they needed a place to stay
they,
Were welcome in their home. More than 300 Red Cross workers had been sent to
France to help. (Teaching Kids News, Joyce Grant)
Through an awful incident the world was able to come together to overcome the fear
together, to provide comfort and support for each other. As stated in the quote above,
countries would shine Frances colors on a main attraction to show their support for the
country who was suffering terribly at that time. Comfort and support will over power fear!
To make fear less powerful you must be prepared in all times, things, and places.
Being prepared for the unknown will be of help and comfort to you in times that fear may
approach you. Like in the military, once you sign up for service, you enter into what is
called boot camp. In Boot camp there will train you to get fit, and in shape, and train you
for what might happen our in the field. Even though all that they can, and will do for you

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Wont be anything really close to what will happen in the field, it will prepare you for
when that time does come. Being prepared, especially in this circumstance, will make

the fear you experience much less because you were trained to know what to do. In
some cases it might be as little as no fear whatsoever. Another example of being
prepared is, we are told to, especially in Utah, to have good food storage. By having a
food storage we will be prepared for almost anything. In Utah our fault line is very large
and we have a high risk chance of having a huge earthquake. If we do have one and
our food or water supply is cut off we will have a backup supply because, we were
prepared. In this way we won't have fear in not having food. In the Ensign of July 1981,
President Marion G. Romney the second counselor in the first presidency gave a talk
entitled, If Ye are Prepared Ye Shall not Fear he uses a quote from 1 Nephi 22:16-17,
it states, Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power, even if it so be that
the fullness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be preserved, even unto the
destruction of their enemies by fire. Wherefore, the righteous need not fear; for thus
saith the prophet, they shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire (Romney paragraph
15). In this quote he is talking about the righteous and how they were prepared for god
and any time, thing, and place. These people were righteous to the lord. It said that
because the people were prepared they need not to fear; because of their willingness to
prepare they were saved from destruction and most of all fear. If we are prepared for
fear, it will not overcome us.

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Some people might say that nothing can overcome fear. Fear is so powerful that
nothing can defeat it. However, they are mistaken, having something or someone to

comfort you and support you will over power that fear. Fear is just mental, if you stop
focusing on the thing that is making you fear and focus on that thing that is comforting
you, you will destroy fear, and stop it in its path. Just like in Harry potter and the Half
Blood Prince, Dumbledore is killed by Severus Snape. Every wizard, especially at
Hogwarts feared that Lord Voldemort would take over the wizarding world. However, in
the next few books we learn that harry is working to disrupt Lord Voldemort's plan. In the
last book Harry and Voldemort and harry have a face off. Harry died but the is
resurrected by the resurrection stone. Harry pretends he is still dead while Hagrid is
being forced by Voldemort, to carry his dead body back to Hogwart to show everyone
there how powerful he is. Once everyone sees Harrys dead body it poses even more
fear than before. Harry escapes Hagrids arms and runs away. Everyone is so
comforted by this knowing that there is hope and there is no more fear because, harry is
there. The book ends when Harry and Voldemort have their last ever face off, Harry
wins the battle and restores the peace. By the comfort that Harry showed there was no
longer any fear. Comfort, preparedness, and support will devourer fear.
In conclusion comfort, being prepared, and support will always destroy fear. Fear
is all mental, and metal is just thinking. However comfort, support, and being prepared
is all physical or in other words acting upon something, so thats why comfort, support,
and being prepared are so efficient because, they are not just sitting and thinking about

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The fear over and over and trying to figure out how to conquer it, they are actually
acting upon the fear. In Albus Dumbledore's previous quote it states that it is the

unknown that we fear, that's why it is a necessity for us to receive comfort, and support
in the hard times that may come. And do as President Marion G Romney said, to
ALWAYS be prepared. In this way we will acknowledge the way to respond to the
difficulties that will come in the future appropriately and without second guess. Being
prepared isnt just all mental it has to also include in receiving the comfort that is being
presented to us without rejecting it. When we reject it fear has won. However, when we
receive the comfort or the comforter it will overcome the power that fear has, and
comfort and preparedness will win. Always be prepared and always be willing to be
comforted.

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Works Cited

Grant, Joyce. "Outpouring of Support for France." Teaching Kids News15 Nov. 2015.
Print.
Romney, Marion. "If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear." Ensign 1 July 1981. Print.

Rowling, JK. "The Cave." Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. New York: Scholastic,
2005. 652. Print.