Fear

What is the number of those who refrain from concluding their actions and fulfilling their path in order to make their dreams come true, satisfy their desires and needs, march towards care and affection, transform their identity, and allow themselves to be? Whatever the step forward might be, it is all too often frustrated by one of the many forms in which fear displays itself. This is the reason why I would like to write, in this week's instalment, about this disorder.

Fear is an emotion of primary anxiety that belongs to our animal core. It is natural. It has to do with our natural structures of survival and defence regarding a perceived threat, whether real or imaginary; a threat located at some point in the time line (present, past or future).

Some spiritual masters regard fear as the absence of love. And it is believed that the base from which every fear stems is the underlying fear of death.

Fear displays itself in many ways, from the solid matter - physical - to the refined matter - mental. Fear in the solid plane responds to physical dangers that regard our survival. Fear in the refined plane belongs to the mind and the perceived dangers it projects in the time-space.

Fear can also be analysed through the intellectual, emotional, passionate, and material levels. In this way we would be speaking of fear of insanity as the foundation of intellectual fear, fear of separation as the foundation of emotional fear, fear of emptiness as the foundation of passionate fear, and fear of death as the foundation of material fear.

Fear in the solid plane has reference to a physical disturbance or threat and relates with the limbic system (present both in animals and humans), generating two possible reactions: either facing the threat - combat - or trying to bypass it in order to elude the anguish it creates - escape. When neither of these options is followed we are then repressing the natural reaction instinct, inhibition that could develop in a physical manifestation if the repression is maintained in time and eventually result in illness.

Fear in the refined plane is the most common in actual societies. It has to do with the imaginary fears that arise from the essential fear of death. Every projection into the future is in reality expressing a present fear. Those who find themselves in complete absence of fear today have no reason to worry about what has not yet come to be and fully invest themselves in the present moment, doing whatever regards them as each of their consecutive present circumstances come along.

Imaginary fears can be many. Some of them, for example, are fear of the future, of going insane, of not being listened, of abasement, of not being rational, of loosing one's identity, of abandon, of loneliness, of separation, of exclusion, of insensibility, of being disappointed, of being different, of robbery, of incapacity, of impotence, of emptiness, of failure, of desire, of not being desired, of passiveness, of over-activity, of loosing, of not seducing, of night, of not being able to communicate, of not progressing, of loosing capabilities, of not being able to speak, of travelling, of change, of disease, of the unknown, of missing something, of needing somthing, of not having something, of aging, of poverty, and of violence.

Many of the products we consume nowadays are not really necessary. Shopping based on fear is detrimental to us. We used to consume what we needed, today, instead, we produce needs that we don’t need. We live in a world enslaved by fear, where neither individuals – and therefore - nor communities fulfill themselves, and the reason is that fear is repressing our world; fear of challenging and allowing ourselves to be.

If we can overcome fear of death then all the secondary fears will by comparison be diminished, and the whole universe will dance around us without the anxieties that prevent our actions.

Being aware of the fact that we empower whatever we focus on in our present circumstances, we can choose where we place that focus on. If any kind of fear is holding us back it is simply because we are giving it our strength and allowing it to do so. Whether it is to – apparently – reject it or to incorporate it, what we are really doing is giving it energy and attracting it towards us. What we can do is to overcome it through the sacred disregard. However, the fear could persist: a signal that it might be time for us to overcome it by experiencing it. It could be telling us of a challenge that must be faced. To do whatever it is we fear full of courage and resolution, detachment and confidence, in order to overcome the challenge positively and destroy the myths surrounding it. The things we fear are unconsciously attracting us, and to carry out what we fear is a liberation from that paralysis, while being blocked by fear and unable to advance turns us into slaves.

Fear can be constructive; it can be seen as an impulse that favours our advance. Thanks to it we count with a map of the issues we could overcome in order to evolve as individuals and satisfy our desires, needs, emotions, and ideas.

“If most of us were free from all fear, do you know what would happen? We would do exactly what we want to do.” Khishnamurti

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