Raymond Carver Resilience Index

Raymond Carver, a celebrated American poet and short story writer, was known for his poignant explorations of human vulnerability and resilience. His poem "Fear" presents a litany of anxieties, both mundane and existential, that resonate deeply with the human experience. This test invites you to engage with Carver's fears and reflect on your own, offering insights into how many of your fears have materialized and what that reveals about your personal resilience.

Only check already materialized fears!

Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive.

Fear of falling asleep at night.

Fear of not falling asleep.

Fear of the past rising up.

Fear of the present taking flight.

Fear of the telephone that rings in the dead of night.

Fear of electrical storms.

Fear of the cleaning woman who has a spot on her cheek!

Fear of dogs I've been told won't bite.

Fear of anxiety!

Fear of having to identify the body of a dead friend.

Fear of running out of money.

Fear of having too much, though people will not believe this.

Fear of psychological profiles.

Fear of being late and fear of arriving before anyone else.

Fear of my children's handwriting on envelopes.

Fear they'll die before I do, and I'll feel guilty.

Fear of having to live with my mother in her old age, and mine.

Fear of confusion.

Fear this day will end on an unhappy note.

Fear of waking up to find you gone.

Fear of not loving and fear of not loving enough.

Fear that what I love will prove lethal to those I love.

Fear of death.

Fear of living too long.

Fear of death.

Listen to this poem:

boris best · raymond carver - fear (a cappella)

About this project

The Raymond Carver Resilience Index is an evocative project that artfully bridges the worlds of psychology and literary art. By drawing upon Raymond Carver’s deeply introspective poem "Fear," the project transforms the poet's raw exploration of human vulnerability into an interactive experience. Carver’s fears—both mundane and existential—serve as a universal mirror, reflecting the shared anxieties of human existence.

Through this, the project invites participants to step into his world and measure their own resilience, blending the emotional power of poetry with the introspection of psychological exploration.

The artistic merit of the project lies in its ability to make the abstract tangible. Psychology often seeks to quantify human experiences, while art resists such reduction by embracing ambiguity and emotional depth. This project harmonizes these perspectives, transforming Carver’s poetic expressions into an engaging framework for self-reflection.

The accompanying visuals, including an open graph of carefully curated background portrait of Carver, enhance the project’s immersive quality, grounding the participant in both literary history and the psychological present. The result is a profoundly humanistic tool that encourages participants to connect with art, themselves, and the universal challenges of being.

Raymond Carver Resilience Index

Listen to this poem:

About this project

Open Graph (Raymond Carver Resilience Index on Facebook)