Restrict

Fear is the father of courage and the mother of safety. - Henry H. Tweedy

Fear is one silly thing. Fear can do lots of stuff. Or rather, Fear can make us do a lot of stuff. Fear of doing badly for our exams make us study and prepare for it. Fear of getting lectured by our teachers or getting punished make us do and submit our work punctually. Fear of getting caught of having longer hair than expected(for a male student in the school rules), make us panic and get a haircut. Fear can make us check ourselves to be safe at all times and cleared for a "dangerous" action/event like abseiling. Fear can make us take precautions and be cautious to our surroundings. Generally the "good" side of what Fear can make us do. However, Fear can make us do "bad" stuff too. People may feel insecure as they fear that their loved ones would cheat/abandon them, leading to certain actions and events. People may distrust and get suspicious at someone because they fear that they might use them or badmouth them or steal their position (like at work). Fear can make us "destroy" things that can pose a threat to our safety or something/someone we care about. Fear can also make us run away from our problems, refusing to face them.
Fear can make us do a lot of stuff, but it can also make us NOT do a lot of stuff. Fear can make us stop playing games or slacking when the exams are near. Fear can make us not charge into any situation without any preparations and precautions. That's about the good side. Fear can make us not do something or say something to someone because of the possible and undesirable consequences, letting the chance slip by and never come back again. Fear can make us to not be forward-looking and dwell on the past. Fear can cause us to not make the correct yet tough decision, wanting an easy way out.
Fear keeps us safe, yet Fear restricts us. A shield that would block everything out, and lock everything in. If we can't overcome fear, we would not be able to take the first step. Then the second step. Followed by the third. And the fourth. And so on. Some kinds of fear lasts for seconds,  some for lifetimes. We should FEAR and NOT FEAR at the same time. But can we differentiate when to fear? And what to fear?