Fear is an odd thing, and often misunderstood. In many sessions with SheerMind clients, this issue arises - the relevance and pertinence of fear. In many cases, what appears to be 'fear' is a highly desirable condition, that keeps us from doing silly things like putting our hand on a hot stove or playing hopscotch on railway tracks. I would like, however, to redefine such behaviour so that this problem of fear can be better understood.
The examples that I have laid out now, and the countless others that can be constructed in the same vain, are merely examples of prudence. They are rational understandings of 'smart behaviour' that allow us to function better in the world and need not have much emotional investment at all. Fears, on the other hand, are the crippling thoughts that plague us day and night, existing outside of our rational thought process with little immediate relevance. Often, fear of this nature gains disproportionate power and can send us into physically debilitating states. It might seem rational to fear exclusion from the crowd or embarrassment or failure. Once these things are seen in truth, however, as occurrences that have no emotional valence until we make it so, the weight of the fear is lifted and an appropriate response can be developed. Often, holding to what we believe to be right or worthwhile brings us into a place where public scrutiny is inevitable. Whether it is chasing an education, a job, a dream, or starting an adventure or business or relationship, we often feel the fear of having to justify ourselves. On a deeper level, we fear making the wrong life decisions or aiming for something in which failure seems the only likely result. Mindful reflection on each of these things is necessary to create an ideal approach to each problem, but freedom from the irrational fear of such things can only be found by truly sticking to the approach that was chosen; action resulting from the decisions made in a clear frame of mind.
The journey of life and freedom from fear is different for everyone, but a step in the right direction is redefining or reorganizing fears into those that are rational and thus prudent, and those that can be shed - even temporarily - in favour of a more calm and focused approach. Ultimately, any idea that generates enough apprehension to take your mind away from the present without your consent must be approached and dealt with actively so that it might be seen as a tangible and solvable problem, in it sown time.
Simply put, if you can fix it now, fix it. If not, take the time to prepare yourself to cross that bridge when you come to it!
The examples that I have laid out now, and the countless others that can be constructed in the same vain, are merely examples of prudence. They are rational understandings of 'smart behaviour' that allow us to function better in the world and need not have much emotional investment at all. Fears, on the other hand, are the crippling thoughts that plague us day and night, existing outside of our rational thought process with little immediate relevance. Often, fear of this nature gains disproportionate power and can send us into physically debilitating states. It might seem rational to fear exclusion from the crowd or embarrassment or failure. Once these things are seen in truth, however, as occurrences that have no emotional valence until we make it so, the weight of the fear is lifted and an appropriate response can be developed. Often, holding to what we believe to be right or worthwhile brings us into a place where public scrutiny is inevitable. Whether it is chasing an education, a job, a dream, or starting an adventure or business or relationship, we often feel the fear of having to justify ourselves. On a deeper level, we fear making the wrong life decisions or aiming for something in which failure seems the only likely result. Mindful reflection on each of these things is necessary to create an ideal approach to each problem, but freedom from the irrational fear of such things can only be found by truly sticking to the approach that was chosen; action resulting from the decisions made in a clear frame of mind.
The journey of life and freedom from fear is different for everyone, but a step in the right direction is redefining or reorganizing fears into those that are rational and thus prudent, and those that can be shed - even temporarily - in favour of a more calm and focused approach. Ultimately, any idea that generates enough apprehension to take your mind away from the present without your consent must be approached and dealt with actively so that it might be seen as a tangible and solvable problem, in it sown time.
Simply put, if you can fix it now, fix it. If not, take the time to prepare yourself to cross that bridge when you come to it!
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