Why are we afraid of everything?

An article by The Ranting Dream    1 Comment

“Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here.”
(Marianne Williamson)

Look around you…everywhere, everyone is afraid of everything…

Heck, we’re even afraid of each other – look carefully and you’ll see the politician exploiting society through fear, observe intently and you’ll see the employee shaking in his boots when in the presence of his boss – we’re afraid of change, we’re afraid of death, we’re afraid of the wealthy, we’re afraid of insects, we’re afraid of losing our jobs…we’re afraid of being ourselves…

Why?

“The worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves. We live in denial of what we do, even what we think. We do this because we’re afraid…”
(Richard Bach)

Essentially, most of our phobias trace their roots back to a handful of ‘basic’ fears (adapted from Napoleon Hill’s ‘Think and Grow Rich’ - 1937):

1. The fear of poverty
2. The fear of criticism
3. The fear of ill health
4. The fear of loss of love
5. The fear of old age
6. The fear of death

I will not dwell on the ’causes’ of fear in this rant, but will briefly explain each of these ‘basic’ fears as I identify with their manifestation on this planet…

Out of the fear of poverty, I am the indecisive, indifferent, procrastinator, not willing to stand up for what is right out of the fear of losing what I have accumulated in life – why challenge the powerful, when being subservient to them is so rewarding materialistically? Let someone else make those hard decisions, I will seek the shortest path to overnight riches, then compromise all my values to make sure I am able to hold on to these riches forever…I will live beyond my means just to ‘fit-in’ with the neighborhood – after all, I can’t let anyone know that I have ‘less’ than them…and if someone does have ‘more’ than I do, I’ll be jealous, envious, critical, and spiteful; in the hope that some of my negativity will rub off on their luck and they will eventually have ‘less’ than me…most importantly I will be in constant search of something or someone to blame for my lack of success – ultimately it is God’s responsibility to make sure that I have ‘more’ than anyone else I know on this planet – and if I don’t have it yet, then it’s all God’s fault!

Out of the fear of criticism, I will agree with everyone on everything – after all, I want everyone to ‘like’ me…I will pretend to be someone I am not, because I can’t afford to be rejected by my peers…I will not be truthful or sincere about anything and will never allow anyone to point out any faults or shortcomings in me, even if it means fabricating stories to cover my backside…I will live beyond my means, because I can’t accept anyone being ‘better’ than me…I will imitate others, and will suppress my own true identity; that way, I will have more friends…I will compromise, deceive, even destroy someone else – if that is what is needed to protect my ego!

Out of the fear of ill health, I’m constantly seeking ‘quick-fixes’ for daily inconveniences – I will happily believe in the ‘shaman‘ if he says he can cure my cancer by blowing ashes into my left ear…I will eat ant-crap twice a day everyday because someone on the internet said that it will keep my sinuses healthy – in fact, I’ve started an ant-farm in my house to collect as much crap as I can for myself…I will use the excuse of ill health to get away from obligations at work – my kids can fall sick, my uncles and aunts can die – whatever it takes to be excused from something I have not been able to complete on time…and most importantly, I will binge on alcohol and drugs (prescription or otherwise), because when under the influence, I don’t feel any pain – and when I don’t feel pain, I can’t be sick!

Out of the fear of loss of love, I will be obsessively protective of my other half, my friends, my kids, my family…I will not allow anyone I know to have any ‘close’ friends other than myself, and I will dictate where they go and who they associate with…I will be jealous and suspicious of everyone that talks to or comes near me…they only want to take my happiness away from me…I will pretend to be everything that I am not, if that is what it takes to make people want to be friends with me…I will find faults with everyone else, because only I should matter – everyone and everything else is ‘defective’ – and I will do whatever it takes to prove that!

Out of the fear of old age, I am always dressed like my 18 year old child…I will spend my entire life savings on ‘lifting’ any signs of aging off my person…I will use my age as an excuse when convenient, but for the most part, I will live in denial of my true age…if age brings with it any physical limitations, I will let it affect my psyche – and I will spend the rest of my living years in misery; complaining about everyone and everything – and, out of spite, I will make sure that no one else around me is blessed with a moment of peace or happiness…I will resist change, and will make sure that anyone who reminds me of my age is crushed beyond recognition!

Out of the fear of death, I will do whatever I can to ‘cheat’ time – because for as long as I can stop time (or slow it down), I can prolong my life on this planet…and I truly believe that time will wait for me…I will lead a life of apathy and indifference: why take risks and tension and shorten my life? I will pay ridiculous sums of money to ‘charlatans‘ and ‘fortune tellers’ just to find out exactly what tomorrow has in store for me; so I can deflect any mishaps headed my way by being proactive and ready for them…I will live in denial of the fact that death is a reality – and if someone I know happens to pass away, I will lose my rest and sleep for months…I will hold on as tight as I can to my material accumulations – I have heard that the more you attach yourself to this world, the harder it is for the soul to ascend to it’s true abode!

Why are we so afraid?

I have ranted on fear earlier – we’re afraid of failure, we’re afraid of success, we’re afraid of living, we’re afraid of dying…

STOP IT!

Stop being so afraid of everything – and especially stop being afraid of each other – don’t be afraid of other human beings just because they have more ‘material’ wealth than you, or are in positions of ‘authority’, or because they are more ‘attractive’ in your perspective, or because they seem to have more ‘qualifications’ on paper than you do!

Assert yourself, believe in yourself, stand up for yourself and your values – don’t let others manipulate your existence by exploiting your insecurities and fears – no one can ever be ‘better’ than you because you are from a unique mold…stop being afraid of yourselves – stop being afraid of your own capacities and capabilities – get out of your damp, dark ‘boxes’ and experience the infinite potential of your existence – don’t waste your time in fear and doubt…

How do we stop being so afraid???

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”
(Dale Carnegie)

“Fear is a habit; so is self-pity, defeat, anxiety, despair, hopelessness and resignation. You can eliminate all of these negative habits with two simple resolves: I can!! and I will!!”
(Author Unknown)

“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.”
(Marie Curie)

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
(Mark Twain)

“Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, be what you want to be — because you only have one life and one chance to do all the things that you want to do.”
(Britta Fiksdal)

“To be a star, you must shine your own light, walk your own path, and do not worry about the darkness, for that is when stars shine brightest.”
(Author Unknown)

Think about this for a bit – then get off your backsides and do something about it!!!

- RD