Fear

As individuals, what are we afraid of — probably everything? We are afraid of aging. We are afraid of having no relationships — intimate or otherwise. We are afraid of not being financially successful, and we are afraid to die. The list goes on and on. Sometimes, I am sure, we are so afraid of the entirety of existence that the whole concept becomes boring and tedious. It is at this point that we come to the realization of who is creating this fear. It is the self who creates my fear — me!

This anxiety is not external. Though the blows may be real and the pain excruciating, it is the mind that creates all. (1) How then do I live a life that is devoid of fear or at least I find a place, in my mind, where I can accept fear exists, but control it? The very first step, I believe, is to come to the realization that we are basically all the same. Human beings, across all continents, races, and religions, want peace, love, and safety. If we have these components in our lives, then the fears that we all manifest are greatly reduced. But, for the most part, we do not exist in this Utopian world. War is once again expanding (2) and psychological and physical violence fill the Internet.

What must I do? The sole solution is to become a peaceful and loving being yourself. This can be only achieved through prayer, meditation, social interaction, and a belief in God, Gaia, or the Universe. Once a person delves into the mysteries that exist in the cosmos, a newfound strength is discovered. This power transcends the day-to-day realities that occupy our lives. If I hold that there is something greater than me and my anxieties, I am capable of tapping into some universal strength. This, of course, is associated with Pascal’s famous wager. (3)

Dr. John Hick, (4) the prominent theologian and philosopher, calls this “The Real”: ”The Real is ultimate reality – it is what it is – but what it is, in its true nature, is beyond the ability of men to understand, talk about, or discover. (But, what is) … the what … we are talking about if we can’t talk about and understand God? Evidently, all we can know about the Real is what we gather from experiencing it. In other words, it is sort of like the wind – we cannot really see or touch or know the wind, but we can be keenly aware of how we each experience the wind. For one person the wind may be experienced as a cool breeze, but by another, it can be a hot wind or a tornado. None of these experiences are the wind, per se, but the effects of the wind.” (5)

So to overcome the fears that exist in this, “the best of all possible worlds,” (6) take some time for yourself. Go for a walk in nature and experience the inner peace that resides within us all. Once I manage my fears, I am better able to be an example to the people that I love and care for. To change the world, I must first change myself. Jiddu Krishnamurti (7) leaves us with a thought: When there is no fear then the mind is in quite a different dimension. Only then can you ask whether there is a God or not.

A closing thought: It is important to answer the three principal questions in life: why am I here, what is my mission? and where will I go when I die? Once answers to these questions are pondered and considered, the heaviness of life is greatly reduced:

The Best of all Possible Worlds, from Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716)

1. God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent;

2. God created the existing world;

3. God could have created a different world or none at all (i.e., there are other possible worlds);

4. Because God is omnipotent and omniscient, he knew which possible world was the best and was able to create it, and, because he is omnibenevolent, he chose to create that world;

5. Therefore, the existing world, the one that God created, is the best of all possible worlds

To sum up: This week, we spoke about how we can control our fears.

To be noted: Wisdom is to live in the present, plan for the future, and profit from the past.

Just for fun: