Overcoming Fear (1950)

oh bill hasn't won yet but he has qualified to swim in the finals so it is a special day for him it's rather a special day for me too you see I've been coaching bill and I feel I had making him one of our best swimmers but I said something about a handicap didn't I well there was a time when Bill was severely handicapped as far as swimming goes he used to visit the pool once in a while but it was the same story every [Music] time [Music] he'd never learned that way yes Bill had a handicap that handicap Was [Music] Fear at first Bill's friends used to ask him to join in the fun hey Bill come on in but no it was no use they forgot bill was there but Bill couldn't forget himself he kept thinking and worrying think I'm a coward do they well maybe I am if only I weren't so afraid I could learn to swim I could have fun like [Music] [Applause] that whatever she fell dad are you all right you all right what's the matter the window sure you're okay sure I'm a coward afraid of the water afraid to jump in and help somebody well they're not cowards Ed or Jim or Janet either [Music] they say if you fall off a horse you should get right back on as soon as you can so you won't be afraid of horses I guess she's not going to let this thing worry her well I what's the [Music] use just wasting my time trying to swim being afraid huh giving up yeah giving up that's right you're Bill Bren aren't you my name is Barker I'm the swimming instructor around here I've um noticed you out there you really want to swim don't you oh it's no use Mr Barker I'm a afraid I'm a coward you're the first coward I've ever known that had courage enough does that make you a coward most people are afraid of something most folks are afraid of wild animals a lot of people are afraid of speeding cars I am I always get out of the way when I see one coming toward me I guess that makes me a carard too that's different that makes sense but being afraid of water it's silly it's easy to say a fear is silly but that doesn't necessarily help you know you're letting yourself get in the habit of being afraid in the habit yes hey maybe you know my kid's sister she used to be afraid of dogs she's getting over it now but once it was quite serious we don't really know how that fear started but it might well have happened this way and my sister was very small the people next door had a large dog he was a rough noisy dog too kept fenced in the yard all the time perhaps sometime in her play CIS came up quite close to the fence when the dog came running toward her she was naturally startled and well if that happen several times you can see how she might have gotten the habit of being afraid of dogs and that habit stayed with her long after she forgot all about the first dog that frightened her you said she was getting over it now how did she do that how did she well she knew it was an unreasonable fear and she wanted to overcome it so she and I worked together we figured she should know dogs we felt she should make friends with dogs it wasn't easy for her we took it very slow my knowing that a dog wouldn't hurt her wasn't enough she had had to know she had to have experience in handling dogs caring for them there was a cute little puppy how could she be afraid of him how could she help loving the little fell who wouldn't come closer to a big dog for a chance to play with a puppy a little longer who could remain afraid of the pup's mother very long certainly not my sister it takes experience knowledge determination and insight to overcome fears that are not rational but it can be done maybe some people can do it I'm too much of a coward if you keep calling yourself a coward you're apt to start acting like one hey didn't I see your uh your picture in the paper the other day something about a bicycle ordinance wasn't it yes uh I just happened to have a copy right here one copy oh yes here we are you deserve to be proud of yourself student defends bicycle ordinance the paper doesn't give many details tell me about this well you know about the new ordinance to keep bicycles off the sidewalks mhm it's really an important safety measure but a lot of the kids didn't like it and they held this protest meeting some of us thought it was a good ordinance I went to the meeting and said so it seems to me in the interest of safety we ought to accept this rule the least we can do is give it a fair Trucking on the sidewalk I like to feel safe so I'm willing to ride my bike in the street ride I don't difference me good going bill you do you agree with me sure well get up and say so uh go ahead come [Music] on I tried to get Ed to speak up but he wouldn't and the kids are still all steamed up I don't know the courage of your convictions huh about it you said said he wouldn't speak up even though he agreed with you would you say prid well I guess but that can't be Ed helped Janet today when she stumbl into the water he's no coward the other day you stood up for what you thought right against opposition so you're no coward you showed what we call moral courage well maybe maybe I'm just a part-time coward in the water that's where I'd like to help you want to learn how to swim well I come on then let's get started that day Bill started overcoming his fear he was in the habit of being afraid so the important thing was to get him in the habit of not being [Music] afraid [Music] Bill learned gradually over a period of several weeks some of the skills he would need for [Music] swimming as he became more skillful in the water he also became more confident he was ready to try actions that would have frightened him before because now he knew he could always write himself in the water and so needn't fear drowning [Music] then as he learned more Bill gradually eased into deeper water if he could swim across the shallow end of the pool he could swim across the deep [Music] end and of course the better he could swim the less Bill feared the water and he overcame his habit of fear he became confident whether or not he wins in the swimming meat he has proved to himself and to others that he is not a coward well we all have little fears which hamper us we should take a tip from Bill Our Lives can be richer happier if we overcome our fears