On Fear

[zeitgeist]

I once asked a member in this group what her key advice for other spiritual path travelers was and she responded "face your fears". I have written a few random thoughts on this big subject below. (Please have a look if you are interested Reflections: When Moses Raised his Magic Rod ....) In essence, I hear and crave all the wonderful spiritual messages that we deserve to experience harmony and love all the time, yet I wonder if we aren't here on earth to fulfill a spiritual mission. We have set ourselve up to get our devine job done despite our human nature. Unfortunately, fear is part of the game plan.

[royster]

An excellent summary, zeitgeist. And a GREAT reminder to us on the path: sometimes, we have to jump into the water before the miracles happen. It's an act of faith.

[Servina]

Absolutely! Fear is a funny thing once you realise that so many of them are created by yourself. Facing your fears is part of life, let alone spiritual development.

[st33med]

Facing fears can be FUN!

That's why I appreciate them being there. They make life much more enjoyable. Fear of having to start over from a checkpoint on the hardest difficulty in a game. Fear of rejection. Fear of the unknown.

[ChrisGinsburg]

Facing your fears is sound advice. There is nothing that makes you feel more alive than to face your deepest fears. This discussion makes me want to go jump off the stratosphere here. Instead of a bungee jump you go all the way down to the ground and the bottom resembles a dart board where you try to land on the highest point area.

[learnllovelaugh]

What I've found most useful in facing fears is to realize that we tend to exaggerate them. Its funny how the most insignificant thing can trigger our instinctive fear reactions. Its such a primal aspect of our brains, and in the modern world it can hurt us more than it helps us; but only if we allow it to. Nothing feels better than overcoming a fear, and I find it to be quite addicting once you get started. Even the smallest steps still feel good.

[zeitgeist]

Originally Posted by learnllovelaugh

What I've found most useful in facing fears is to realize that we tend to exaggerate them. Its funny how the most insignificant thing can trigger our instinctive fear reactions. Its such a primal aspect of our brains, and in the modern world it can hurt us more than it helps us; but only if we allow it to. Nothing feels better than overcoming a fear, and I find it to be quite addicting once you get started. Even the smallest steps still feel good.

I would echo what you and some others have said, there is a big difference between anticipating a "miserable" event and actually experiencing it. 'Just bring it on' happens to be my motto, though I can't really say that I feel addicted to facing my fears. It appears there are a number of 'dare saints' in this forum - good for you!

All the best,

Zeitgeist

[UrI]

Ive been wondering lately if its really necessary to face fears, seen in the light of the LoA
So, theres actually no reason to get rid of fear, now is there?
I mean, a person whos absolutely afraid of spiders might just intent to live in a reality where he/she would never cross paths with spiders.
Or is there a necessity to get rid of fears? If so, why?

[ChrisGinsburg]

Originally Posted by UrI

Ive been wondering lately if its really necessary to face fears, seen in the light of the LoA
So, theres actually no reason to get rid of fear, now is there?
I mean, a person whos absolutely afraid of spiders might just intent to live in a reality where he/she would never cross paths with spiders.
Or is there a necessity to get rid of fears? If so, why?

Would you really be able to truly believe that you could live a life where your fears never manifested? I know I couldn't and without really believing it, LOA would be useless. Eliminating fears means eliminating doubt and increasing confidence.

[Kishka]

I recently read somewhere: Face your fears and they become your allies or they disappear.

Im finding this to be pretty accurate.

[Mato Kinze]

There are those who believe that there is only ONE truly primal fear: the fear of loss. This loss is mostly associated with Death, but if you think about it, one can "fear" for any sort of loss.

We fear the loss of our life, we fear the loss of the lives of those we hold dear, we fear the loss of material posessions, we fear even the loss of physical comfort.

So, if this is True, then one way to release fear is to let go of the idea that you ever actually "possess" anything; including your life. If you operate from the perspective that nothing is "yours" and you actually "have" nothing, then you have nothing to "lose".

I've found that's easier said than done, but I'm working on it.

[zeitgeist]

Originally Posted by Mato Kinze

So, if this is True, then one way to release fear is to let go of the idea that you ever actually "possess" anything; including your life. If you operate from the perspective that nothing is "yours" and you actually "have" nothing, then you have nothing to "lose".

I've found that's easier said than done, but I'm working on it.

I think you are onto something - As I mentioned in my blog, I happen to work in a forecasting business where the job security is pretty much non-existent - But once I understood this, my work actually became quite liberating - So my motto is, "Hey, if I am out of the job tomorrow, I might as well have as much fun as I can today".

All the best,

Zeitgeist

[UrI]

Originally Posted by Mato Kinze

There are those who believe that there is only ONE truly primal fear: the fear of loss. This loss is mostly associated with Death, but if you think about it, one can "fear" for any sort of loss.

We fear the loss of our life, we fear the loss of the lives of those we hold dear, we fear the loss of material posessions, we fear even the loss of physical comfort.

So, if this is True, then one way to release fear is to let go of the idea that you ever actually "possess" anything; including your life. If you operate from the perspective that nothing is "yours" and you actually "have" nothing, then you have nothing to "lose".

I've found that's easier said than done, but I'm working on it.

now thats an interesting and empowering perpective! Thank you.