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CHAPTER 2WHY WE DON’T ASK—REALLY
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
We do not ask for help because we are afraid. Fear is what stops us from looking someone in the eye, admitting a need, and saying the words, “I need your help.”
Anthropologists describe fear as a natural, protective response to potentially dangerous stimuli. Fear kept our ancestors from venturing into caves populated by people-eating lions. Nowadays, it keeps us from venturing into equally dangerous dark alleys. This protective quality of fear is instinctual. The little hairs stand up on our necks and our eyes widen in anticipation of the risk ahead. This primal fear keeps ...
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