The Illusion of Fear
We all experience fear. Most of the fear we experience is self-manufactured. Like a shadow mistaken for a monster – it is not real but born of our perception. Think about this: most things you fear are things you imagine will happen in the future. Fear of getting in a bike accident, fear of foreclosure, fear of not being able to have kids… This is just your perception, and has little to do with the reality of the present moment. The human imagination evolved as a tool to imagine and prepare for dangerous situations, and it is an incredibly well-adapted tool. It is so powerful that many of us will base a good portion of our daily actions based upon those imaginary images we hold in our head. Fear shows up in your life as worry, stress, tension and anxiety.
Teddy Roosevelt said,”The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” How can you fully grasp this? How can you realize it so wholly that you can see the fear, label it and then let it go? The answer is practice, practice, practice.
Ask yourself: What is my true essence? What ARE you? Are you a body? A fragile body that is most certainly destined to die one day? We all know that we are more than just bodies, but that we are metaphysical spirits residing within these bodies.
Now ask yourself: What could happen in the physical realm that could ever diminish my spirit? I’m not talking about your spirit as in your spunkiness or self esteem. I’m talking about the divine being that you innately ARE. Realize that you are infinite and indestructible, and allow that thought to transform your fears into hope. Understanding this concept doesn’t guarantee a change in your physical realm, but may help you to accept your present physical situation as utterly impermanent.
In the religions of Buddhism and Hinduism, it is accepted that each being is on a journey of multiple lifetimes and multiple physical bodies, and death is viewed as a transition into yet another lifetime. Every faith-based tradition tells us that fear is transient and finite and posits the “light” of our being opposite those fears. Realize your inner light. Just be. You are infinite, and fear is simply your illusion.