Fear: An illusion of the mind or a warning of what's to come

Why do we fear the things we fear? What happened in our past lives, in the womb, in our childhoods to make us afraid of the things we are afraid of? Why does the dark make us uneasy? Or crawlie things. Or is it something in our genetic make-up to make us fear things in general.

What is fear?
Fear is:

1.	a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.

2.	a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling: an abnormal fear of heights.

3.	concern or anxiety; solicitude: a fear for someone's safety.

4.	reverential awe, esp. toward God.

5.

that which causes a feeling of being afraid; that of which a person is afraid: Cancer is a common fear. I find now that I don't do what I did sometimes when I was a child. If I was afraid, my first instinct was maybe to duck and cover. I grew out of it and now when I'm afraid, I seek out that which scares me. I find that even though it makes me afraid, facing it is better than being a coward. I still have the fear of course, but I face it either way. Heart pounding sweaty palmed and all. Why not, right? Let's hope I can keep that up.