"What Fear Can Teach Us"

     In her illuminating TED Talk, Karen Thompson Walker, author of the book “The Age of Miracles” and former editor for Simon and Schuster, ponders the limits of the human imagination while examining its connection to fear.  Walker postulates that fear, contrary to the negative effects commonly associated with it, can actually be beneficial if interpreted correctly.  This “correct” examination rests on seeing fears as stories that could happen in the future, and allowing these stories and their potential side effects to help us make smart decisions and avoid possible trouble.

     The crux of Walker’s argument rest on the major premise that fear is an inherent part of human emotion, leading to her minor premise and conclusion that by regarding fears as stories rather than things we must conquer, humans will be able to improve their lives and subsequently decrease their fears.  The talk begins with an anecdote about the doomed whaling ship Essex, which Walker uses to vividly depict fears to the audience, anyone with an open mind willing to learn to look at their fears in a fresh way.  However, she does not immediately reveal the entire story, instead telling it in bits and pieces interspersed throughout the talk.  In this way, the story becomes an allegory that shows how our fears can paralyze us, like the sailors stranded at sea.  Even so, by tracing each fear to its potential end, we can better cope with and learn from our fears.  The allegory additionally played on the audience’s cultural memory, allowing them to bring preconceived notions (and even fears) about whaling and being stranded at sea into the discussion.  This interpersonal connection with the audience is furthered through Walker’s first person narration.  This point of view includes the audience, making them feel as if Walker is speaking directly to them and as if they can successfully look at their fears from a new perspective.

     However, one striking thing about the talk was Walker’s body language.  Although her words strove to connect with the audience, her actions did not; she was a relatively immobile public speaker, standing rigidly in the center of the stage, not always looking at the audience.  Therefore, had Walker been a more charismatic public speaker, it would have helped the audience to better hear and understand the talk, although Walker’s purpose was somewhat fulfilled in that she successfully employed some verbal rhetorical techniques throughout the talk.