It’s about time we take a really long look at fear right now. As a mindfulness practitioner I have always dealt a lot with fear. Fear is ravaging our societies and our souls right now.
First of all, what is fear?
Fear is an emotion. A feeling we get when the brain “perceives” danger. That’s it. That’s all fear really is. It is an alert from our brains. But why “perceived” danger. Well, the brain doesn’t know how to distinguish between a real threat and something that may be skewed in our minds based on past experiences.
For instance, if an assailant is chasing me down a dark alleyway, I am in real danger. My fear at that point is therefore, real. But, if I walk down that same alleyway one year later, in the light of day, with no assailant in sight and plenty of people around, and I STILL have fear of being attacked, that is an irrational fear, because there is no true danger.
Do you see the difference??? One is based on what is actually happening right now. The other is based on background thoughts and beliefs that my mind is telling me.
Even if I never experienced an assault in the past, my mind could still tell me this dark alleyway is scary, based on things I’ve seen in movies, heard on the news, or even from other people.
In the first instance I am truly in real danger, right now. In the second, I am only in an assumptive, predictive, negatively biased, false reality. One which assumes the worst and keeps me in fear. Why does this matter?
Living in the moment
Everything I have ever learned in my entire career about mental health and mindfulness warns against this!!! We NEVER know what the future holds. It is always a mystery and that is why life is so amazing and precious. We live in the now and that is always so perfect. Eckart Tolle explains this perfectly in “the Power of Now.
Look around you right now, this second. Are you healthy? Are you safe? Then why project fear into what “could” happen? I see the “proactive” reactions of some of our leaders surrounding the covid situation as exactly what we are warned not to do in our own minds. Society Is running on ”predictive fear”.
Why this is bad for everyone?
A lockdown is a projection of what “could” happen. It is a projection of fear. And I see the possibility of even worse “proactive” “fear-based” controlling, ASSUMPTIVE, PREDICTIVE actions on the horizon.
We’re not supposed to do this on a personal level, but it’s even worse when it happens on a larger, society-based scale. That is not mindful. It is not living in the present moment or appreciating the good of right now.
What do all the experts say? They say, let go of control. Appreciate what you have right now. Embrace it. Love it. Live in the moment, because that is all there truly is!!!
I see everyday people trying to do that with what they have to deal with in their lives, but our “rulers” are not! They are not being mindful! If it’s true for a person, it is also true for the larger sum of us.
Our molecules, our minds, society, and the universe all operate based on the same basic principles. Let’s not forget what those are.
We must not let fear drive our actions
It is true that we all, including our leaders, must make plans for the future. Those plans need to be made out of love and not fear. Ask yourself right now, are my plans born from a place of love or fear? You’ll have your answer.
Fear will be in there somewhere, right now especially, I guarantee it. We have to distinguish the difference between the fear and what we believe in. That is not always easy. We must take time sit, contemplate, and ascertain if fear is “driving” our decisions, or if we have fear, and are making a wise decision outside of it.
If it is fear, it will always lead down the wrong path. Is there a visible assailant coming at you right now, or is it the fear of an assailant waiting around the corner? He’s not there. He won’t be there. Move forward with confidence and courage and watch the mirage of the fear-based unknown disappear.
Just be careful, denial of fear can be very strong. It can lead one person down a dangerous path, and a larger sum of people down a path of complete destruction, chaos, or even worse. A path much worse that that alleyway could have ever possibly seemed to begin with. We must all be vulnerable, it’s the only way 🙏
For any questions or comments, feel free to contact Troy