It's well known that lack of courage is what makes a lot of people unhappy. We tend to relate this unhappiness to fear instead, but in my opinion, fear is very, very necessary.
The same way there is no light without darkness, there is no courage without fear.
Didn't you felt incredibly good after going up that stage to play your music for the first time?
That incredible sensation was just your satisfaction for defeating fear with courage. It arose when you had a fear to overcome.
Imagine fear as a musical instrument that can't make any sound by itself. It will only make music when a musician plays.
Courage is the initiative and technique the musician have to make the instrument create sounds.
It might sound weird in the beginning, but after a while, it will sound better.
Seeing from this perspective, courage is not a feeling or a gift a few have, it's just an act! It is a decision that can transform fear into something positive such as satisfaction or happiness.
Fear is the universe telling us "Hey! Here is an opportunity to grow!"
Sounds better, right? Well, wait... There is more.
I have been noticing that most of the time, fear is hidden. It's not always that huge dragon.
This feeling is usually lurking behind social conditionings, procrastination, excuses, and lies we tell ourselves every day to keep us from doing things we want to do, but just don't because it's safer, because it's normal.
Seeking for normality is one of the greatest ways to deny one's potential.
In the majority of cases, fear is artificial. Its just nothing pretending to be something.
Fear is our brain trying to keep us away from often inexistent risks created by beliefs imposed by society, or by outdated instincts inherited from our stone-age ancestors.
After all, we could be killed just by being from a different tribe back then.
(Wait, I think this still happens today...)
It's interesting how our brain try to sabotage us in order to don't take action for our own growth. From a more scientific point of view, maybe this kind of fear is just another natural beavior that influentiates natural selection, and balance in our species.
I think fear is just a resource to emphasize an individual's greatness.