Fear raises its ugly head when we are confronted by situations that we aren’t sure that we can handle.  Fear makes us want to avoid the things that we are afraid of.  But, the fear is not inherent in the thing we are facing; it rises out of our doubts.  Madame Curie’s advice is to seek to understand the scary things so that we learn how to handle them.  Understanding will eliminate the fear and expand our comfort zone.  For example, since I understand how lightning works, I can shield myself from its dangers and sit back and enjoy its beauty.