But more than that, fear threatens the withdrawal of affection. Fear threatens the exposure of the Dark side of self. Fear also threatens the exposure of the Light Side of self, the positive qualities that people have that they've similarly learned to tuck away. It's what psychologists call the Shadow, the Dark Shadow and the Light Shadow. Fear threatens to expose them both.
Fear threatens also to produce or generate destruction.
And fear blackmails. Well, that's what fear does. And as with any blackmail, if you expose it, you're safe. It can become the teacher. Fear was your first teacher, the very first one you ever had.