Fear is key to success

My opponent has returned! Huzza! The debate continues! I'm going to address what he wrote in the last round, and then explain why I won this debate. Regarding my Opponent's last Round: PRO claims that fear is "an element that each of us face" which stems from various kind of experiences, which is sort of true -but I think "element" was the wrong word to use. While pro is free to argue, as he does, that "most people" that are successful claim that it is the key to success, his argument is problematic for two reasons: first, he's got no source and second, it's logically fallacious (argumentum ad populum). The reason that's problematic is because if we're going to claim that "most people" who are successful believe anything, he's got to prove it with numbers. He doesn't do that, so we can't trust the veracity of what he's saying. But, even if he had a source that showed that most people who were polled believed that fear is the key to success, that doesn't mean that it's the case. PRO's assertion that not every successful person is afraid of everything does nothing to advance his case, but his assertion that fear is "the basic foundation of all decisions that trigger successful results" requires, like his earlier claim, evidence to warrant it. Hitchen's razor compels us to dismiss this, as well his claim about "surveys" -nebulous as they are, due to their being unsourced. And regarding some of PRO's later claims, PRO continues to affirm a distortion of the resolution. Affirming the claim that "OVERCOMING fear is the key to success" is fundamentally different from the claim that "FEAR is the key to success." I've pointed out in the last round that PRO has not substantiated either claim, for reasons I'll reiterate later -but we can't evaluate arguments which affirm the former claim, as the latter is the only one in play in this debate. But there are more problems... PRO's warrantless assertion that "fear stimulates a person to take some actions" isn't a reason that actually supports the claim that fear is the key to success, because there is no link between the actions that fear stimulates a person to take and those actions being conducive to one's success. It's also speculative, entirely too general and inconsistent with reality. Fear, in actuality, "is a chain reaction in the brain that starts with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that cause a racing heart, fast breathing and energized muscles, among other things, also known as the fight-or-flight response." (1) As the thalamus directs the eyes to receive sensory information, the sensory cortex interprets that information after which the hippocampus places that information in context. The amygdala decodes the emotion of fear and interprets whether the stimulating information conveys a threat and the hypothalamus triggers a biologically charged "fight or flight" response, which activates the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenal-cortical system. (1) HowStuffWorks explains "The sympathetic nervous system sends out impulses to glands and smooth muscles and tells the adrenal medulla to release epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline) into the bloodstream. These "stress hormones" cause several changes in the body, including an increase in heart rate and blood pressure." (2) The physical response to fear can be debilitating. The sudden flood of epinephrine, norepinephrine and dozens of other hormones causes changes in the body that include: "(a) heart rate and blood pressure increase, (b) pupils dilate to take in as much light as possible, (c) veins in skin constrict to send more blood to major muscle groups (responsible for the "chill" sometimes associated with fear -- less blood in the skin to keep it warm), (d) blood-glucose level increases, (e) muscles tense up, energized by adrenaline and glucose (responsible for goose bumps -- when tiny muscles attached to each hair on surface of skin tense up, the hairs are forced upright, pulling skin with them), (f) smooth muscle relaxes in order to allow more oxygen into the lungs, (g) nonessential systems (like digestion and immune system) shut down to allow more energy for emergency functions, which results in (h) trouble focusing on small tasks (brain is directed to focus only on big picture in order to determine where threat is coming from)." (2) Essentially, while all of the physiological responses to fear are intended to help survive a dangerous situation, those biological processes hinder rational thought and almost invariably hamper calculated, strategic and rational decision making because the body is physically overwhelmed. Fear and the biological responses to it may help us survive imminent danger, but it is not a long term motivator towards success. Essentially, in claiming that it is, my opponent is conflating surviving and thriving. Moreover, fear cannot be "the key" to success because, as HowStuffWorks explains, "living with chronic fear can be both physically and emotionally debilitating." (3) If fear were the key to success, then people with generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder would be the successful outliers among us. And yet, they are not. PRO literally makes no attempt to refute anything I've said, so I'm winning every argument I've made above. Once more, if by "key" PRO is saying that "fear is the means to succeed" he's failed to make his case. He's not bothered to address the distinction between overcoming fear and fear itself -and this is especially problematic because his phraseological choice implies both that there is a singular "key" to success, and he must show that "fear" itself is that key. But, he's not done that. Fear is an emotion that paralyzes. It keeps us from making choices and decisions which are rationally calculated and oriented towards the accomplishment of long-term goals. And even more, success requires a whole lot more than fear -or even overcoming it. Success requires self discipline, focus and ambition. WikiHow (4) offers this method to be successful in life: 1. Identify your passions. 2. Make a list of goals and what you might need to do to achieve them. 3. Live purposefully. 4. Be educated. 5. Manage your finances. 6. Manage your time. If any one of these are necessary to be successful, the resolution is negated. Also, because I actually used sources, I'm winning those points too. Many thanks to PRO for this debate, and all judges who take the time to read and vote! Sources: (1) http://science.howstuffworks.com... (2) http://science.howstuffworks.com... (3) http://science.howstuffworks.com... (4) http://www.wikihow.com...