fear is the mind killer
overcome fear, and you conquer the world
how often have you heard that said?
too many, I bet.
but truly, is there anything to it? if we overcome our internal fears and aversions, what will be the end result? a more satisfied, robust, expressive, creative human being? Really??
let me make the case:
1) in fear, we withdraw and don’t try new things. Hence we stop learning and growing in our mind. Ideas become stagnant, recycled, we become “locked in” to a fear mindset. The world becomes scary!
2) in fear, we stop connecting with others. Other People are best source of joy there is! Getting their input, sharing some of your own story … social cohesion has many benefits.
3) in fear, we lose the connection to Source
4) in fear, we start doubting our own abilities to cope with the world. We reduce our own stature in comparison to others, and in doing so, hand them our power. Bad!!
5) in fear, we doubt the inherent goodness of others. One paints them as this or that, and we stop seeing Reality for what it is. It becomes a clouded vision..
6) in fear, we cannot Love fully.
7) in fear, we live in a little box of a world, not seeing its wonders, joys, explosive beauty. A narrow, constricted, defensive mindset. Fear is a COMPRESSION.
“like swimming through concrete” – that is how I have often felt in my life.
whether depressed, or just down and out, or even just going through the motions of high school; there was a sense of restriction, of keeping things held back. Like chains on my soul.
but as one moves along the spiritual path, one frees up these weights we have placed on ourselves. Modes of thought and behaviour that we have learnt from our environment, our parents and culture. The accumulated assumptions of the world around us.
the sense of ‘lightness of being’; of being a free spirit, a creative dancer on the shores of life. To enjoy the moments of each day with a welcoming smile. To wave to passing souls.
by letting go of things, we become free-er, light-er. We can drift over the happenings of our lives, seeing things from a more balanced perspective; not get caught up in the dramas.
the mind is a tricky beast; it often deceives us, leads us astray. It paints the best picture of us, reflects back a righteous, good-acting human being. Are we ever in the wrong? In almost every argument, aren’t we the injured one, the one who has been maligned, insulted – but is this always so?
surely the person on the other side thinks the same thing? that they are in the right?
being honest about motivations and feelings is a lifelong grapple.
see the mind, with all its little intricate tunnels, thought forms that we have built over time.
radical acceptance of who and what we are can be difficult. That is to say, see the flawed image, and accept it is thus. Things can change, and will change, but right now, that is the way they are. The world is as it is, with you in it. See this clearly.
Accept, and acknowledge others. They are what they are, and as they should be, for now.
100 Musical Footsteps 