Plainly, nobody will be afraid who believes nothing can happen to him. Fear is felt by those who believe something is likely to happen to them. People do not believe this when they are, or think they are, in the midst of great prosperity, and are in consequence insolent, contemptuous, and reckless. But if they feel the anguish of uncertainty, there must be some faint expectation of escape.

-- Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)
"Rhetoric"

I really like this quote. A lot, actually. It speaks about hope and a sense of fortitude. Or maybe I'm reading too much into it and deliberately missing the rather cynical undercurrents to this selection. Fear is, to some degree, necessary in all of our lives, I think. It keeps us on our toes, aware of what's happening around us, and mindful that good fortunes that we enjoy are usually earned. I constantly fear change and uncertainty and appreciate the regimented moments from time to time in my own life, for example. And it tells me that no matter how uncertain and harrowing things can get sometimes, there is always a way out; an escape, I suppose. Perhaps because a mind adept enough to consider dire consequences is also usually just as able to imagine a way out of them? Perhaps.