Inside Out and Fear: The Highest Cannot Stand Without The Lowest

The highest cannot stand without the lowest.

Cool saying right? Sounds all deep and philosophical. It's definitely one of those sayings that you can use while offering advice and almost be guaranteed that you'll get a "Mmmm, right" in return. 

Frankly, this particular saying has struck me as good sense more than something mystical. It rings with similar practicality towards such classics as "The wise man builds his house on a rock" or "Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones." 

I take the saying to mean that a good foundation or basis should be built before attempting any grander designs. 

Don't take grunt work for granted. Put in the effort so that when you make something, you know it will also last as long as possible OR be easily fixable. Know how the foundations work so you know what parts effect other portions and how to best address them. Do the tedious and seminal tasks first so you do not have to tear apart something you love later. 

Mind you, I have no idea if that's what this saying actually means, but it is how I understand it.

At any rate, a friend and I were talking about Manipulation and his close friend Guilt Trip. In her particular case, she reacting to having been told "Well, what if I died tomorrow? How would you feel then?"

*Knocks on wood*

"I feel like that is just so manipulative. I don't want what I do to be motivated by fear." "So I do think that was manipulation. That doesn't mean it's a bad question to ask or try to answer."

Our conversation went on to talk about what role Fear can have in a person's life and if it is always bad.

"It reminds me of a George MacDonald quote where he says that fear is a form of motivation, but the lowest form." "Hm, but the highest cannot stand without the lowest."

Since then I have been thinking of the role of Fear in a person's life. In the movie Inside Out, Anxiety/Fear is present almost immediately after Joy and Sadness, two of the main characters in the film. Fear's role is to keep Riley (the little girl) safe, and though each Emotion brings something grander to the table, they also constantly have to check back in with Fear.

In fact, when Joy and Sadness go missing in the course of the film, Fear is the one who offers the most sensible advice (we need to wait until everyone is back together).

This is not to say that our lives should be ruled or tyrannized by Fear (as Fear does pretty poorly in charge of Riley), but it is worthwhile to note some the ways it is unique and potentially instrumental.

Fear has an imaginative side and can create grand (if often exaggerated) pictures.

Fear demands that we consider things from multiple viewpoints.

Fear respects the world around us, maybe even too much.

I could say more here, but I'm reluctant to, because one of my fears is that I sound too much like the Batman villain Scarecrow or Green Lantern's arch-nemesis, Sinestro. 

All this to say, it was interesting to consider just how seminal, instrumental, and potentially good Fear might be as a motivation. If we are to do service to the higher motivational values, such as familial love, hope, or compassion, perhaps we cannot properly consider them without first recognizing and experiencing Fear.

Because the highest cannot stand without the lowest.