The Fear of Bird Flu has a purpose. Here it is.

NO FEAR!!! Say the tshirts of many teens.
FEAR NOT! Say the tshirts of many christians.

I'm sorry folks, but I think the Discovery channel said it best when they said that "No species on planet earth can survive without three basic drives:

• sex
• fear and
• aggression

i.e. Fear is an emotion that is essential for survival.

If you don't have sense enough to be afraid of the Mac truck heading your way, you will be flattened.

But it takes more than fear to protect us, we must know how to respond appropriately to the alarm clock of fear. If you're paralyzed with fear of that Mac truck, it will still flatten you.

Fear is an alarm clock with a clear message: get more educated, more skilled and more prepared to face whatever it is you fear.

So why is it that everyone is getting more and more afraid of the Bird flu and even though everyone is saying "get prepared," a very small percentage of people are getting prepared? Because as crazy as it sounds we were never educated in the value and correct use of the emotion of fear. We were taught to ignore it, to run headlong into it, to be entertained by it - but when was the last time you heard anyone explaining how to correctly utilize fear? Chances are, never.

It's this simple:

If you're walking down a dark alley and hear menacing footsteps behind you, get educated, skilled and prepared -- look for light, look for people, reach for the mace in your purse, feel for the spray hole, get it positioned in your hand right, feel which way the wind is blowing, get ready to run.

If you're afraid you're not gonna pass that test - study more, play less.

If you're afraid the Bird flu might become the Big Bird Flu Pandemic where they close schools and a lot of jobs - don't just keep getting more and more afraid and feeling like there's nothing you can do. Stop that! It's dangerous to have fear and not use it wisely! And it's not that hard to get prepared.... you start stocking up food, medicine, bleach, per the Center for Disease Control Instructions . If you've never been smart enough to put money in a savings account every pay day, start this next payday.

And I'm not pointing fingers at you and acting like I've always had a savings account. I haven't. But now each paycheck I utilize my fear by stocking up on supplies and putting money into a savings account and it reduces my fears to a healthy cautious alertness.

We're not powerless to protect ourselves and our loved ones. But if we wait till the pandemic hits to get ready, we will indeed be too late.

Not "NO FEAR," or "FEAR NOT" but rather KNOW HOW TO UTILIZE FEAR, pray for the best, get prepared for the worst.