Much of what we fear stems from our impermanence and the impermanence of all things.
We’re afraid of our own death (so much so that it’s the greatest fear of all), afraid of losing our loved ones, afraid of losing our possessions, and afraid of our current life being turned upside down by the loss of a job, special position, or war. We’re also afraid that we’ll fail and afraid that we just aren’t good enough.
Whether it stems from an awareness of the impermanence of all things, or our inner dialogue, we can transcend this fear by learning where it comes from (its source). This is done through following the path of self-inquiry, or introspection- the practice of looking within until we find the source of our suffering.
Fear is the emotion that oftentimes leads to dangerous and irrational acts of self-protection without much cause due to paranoia. Oftentimes, it’s the pain that fear makes us feel which makes us want to run from it. But if we were to look just a bit deeper, and be honest with ourselves, we’d realize that everything isn’t what it at first seems to be and often we have simply made more of our triggers, truths and situations than we needed to.
Simply stopping in our fearful moments, being rational about what we can or cannot do about our situation and discovering the truth is healing in itself. All we need to do is observe with our mindfulness, to be fully present to the feelings that can transform ourselves.
Peace and Love, Jim
