The fear factor

I have heard it said that we should face our fear and do it anyway. Easier said than done for many of us. Our fear serves a definite purpose. It protects us from real or perceived danger. Our fear may be based on direct experience or what we have been told by others. Some danger only needs to be present once for it to teach is a lesson. Burning your hand makes you more cautious around fire. Other dangers may occur multiple times before we develop a healthy fear around them such as handling a knife. The fear of the dangers creates a plan for protecting ourselves when they are present. When our fears are based on what others tell us, they may or may not be credible. We may be told to fear others because of their skin color or their ancestry. It becomes your responsibility to determine if the fear is valid. It may not be and so it is necessary to adopt a new belief. This can take courage when the message around the fear is strong. We will respond physiologically to fear whether it is real or not. How are you differentiating between the two