[BAMF]

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” —Marie Curie



How does this relate to an issue of concern to you. I'm thinking its about ignorance but not sure what to say. :\

[jakester]

BAMF - yes, I agree that the author of this quote is encouraging the reader to not be ignorant.

I'm not certain from what context the writer is making this statement from (whether she was thinking of a particular moment in her own life where recognizing her fear of what she did not understand was something to overcome) or whether it is a general observation of life.

I'd have to agree with the author but again, I'm not certain I could say I understood for certain to what extent the author would apply her statement. For example, some people would be afraid at the very thought of doing drugs (heroin, LSD, etc.). A very different person would say, try it, why are you so afraid? I know that's a juvenile example, but I hope you understand my point.

My argument is that some things are to be rightly feared, no matter how well I may or may not understand them. However, I think that our tendency as human beings is to be afraid of things that we ought to really understand, and in that case, fear is not our ally but our enemy. For example, I may be afraid to love others because I was hurt once in my life before. If my fear of being hurt causes me to be unloving to others and condemning of people, then I think I have to do business with that. My fear may be a very real issue for me but to allow it to dictate the course of my life would be foolish, I think.

There are many other important issues that would be relevant to this discussion but these are just a quick stab at it.

What are your thoughts regarding the quote from Curie?