Fear, good or bad?

Fear is a big part of our lives. More I think than we like to acknowledge.
Most of the time it is easier to see and accept fears in others than in ourselves.
One of my biggest fears is not to be needed.
Because of this I tend to stray toward people that need help. Or at least in my perception need help. This is not always a good thing.

The gentleman I have been spending time with for awhile now has large amounts of fear in his life. Fear of body image, fear that he is not good enough, fear that people only want something from him, fear that if he spends too much time around people they won't like him anymore. All fears I can understand yet it hurts to see. We have a nice 3 day weekend planned and he made the comment to me "What if you can't stand me after only a day?" He forgot about hte reverse of that. What if he can't stand me after a day. I think two people with similar fears spending time in close quarters will be a good thing. It just might reveal if the feelings are real or percieved. Only time will tell.

Sometimes fear can be a good thing. It helps us stay out of dangerous situations. It can protect us from getting hurt if we listen. It can heighten our awareness of things going on around us. Overcoming emotional fear is difficult but necessary in order to grow at least for me. Small steps that might take a lot longer than we wish are sometimes what is needed.