i wouldn’t under estimate how crippling of a fear this is. you wouldn’t tell a depressed person “cheer up!”
On another hand, I feel a bit like the blog post, in that I'm not extra motivated into trying this, maybe also a bit worried to break somebody's heart (this includes, potentially, mine), or to be stuck in a situation I don't really like for too long. If I think through that deeply I'm not sure I even find that much upside. Anyway I really like his wording, it speaks to me quite a bit.
Lots of people do, though. Unfortunately.
So for the author, and whomever else, I'd ask, are you being honest with yourself or are you turning away from fear?
Either something is worth the risk, galvanizing yourself, and taking your shot whatever the results, or it’s not. If it’s the later, let it go and move on. If you can’t move on, why not? Are you being honest with yourself? Deep down, you know the answer, because it’s a feeling. An intuition.
Ambivalence. Living in between these two states is painful. You’re attached to something but scared to reach out for it. It’s life under tension.
At a certain point, you can't resolve this tension by sitting in place and thinking deeply. You're not just a mind. You have to use your body, too.
correlation is not causation
That said, this is borderline navel gazing. Stop thinking about "what it's like to go swimming" and jump in the lake. Yes, you'll get wet, look stupid, and make a mess. There's no way around that. The sooner the better.
If you need to reason yourself into the water, I recommend "The Village Effect." Statistically, humans fair better with a rich tapestry of relationships. Are you ready to bet your life on being the exception? Move over, Pascal.
More pointedly, can you really say you've examined life and lived it fully if you've never shared it intimately with another person? Can someone say they understand the world if they've never left their home? Do you want to be that person?