Fear has been defined as the main negative feeling in opposition to love, which is the most positive one. It may possibly be true. If we examine any negativity of the spirit, in fact, we will find out that, at its origin, there are different types of dread: Of loneliness, of pain, of poverty, of abandonment, of death, of failure. People who don’t trust their capability of being loved for who they are, are afraid of being abandoned by loved ones, of the possibility of remaining without friends, of being left on their own.
Others, no matter how much money they have accumulated, are always haunted by the ghost of poverty. The fear of death is a feature that is probably shared by all human beings, and can be exorcised by spirituality and faith. In order to lead a reasonably good life, all individuals need to face what frightens them most, accept the challenge and do their best to either overcome it or at least deal with it in an acceptable way.
In case you decide to become a successful person, for example, the fear of failure must be eliminated from your heart. It is in fact the biggest obstacle hindering the achievement of your goal. When you are scared, a true chemical storm takes place in your body (yes, at a physical level as well), which alters all your capacities. Thus, you lose the energy that could be fruitfully utilized toward your goal, your brain gets clouded and becomes unable to think clearly, ugly images fill your mind and paralyze your discernment.
Do you realize how dangerous all this is? When you are aiming at a goal, beside cultivating the certainty of obtaining it and the trust in your capabilities, you must first of all free yourself from the chains of such dread which, beside being unjustified, is also “useless”! Why? Because, if you succeed in living in the present moment — as you should — you act according to the actual circumstances, without focusing on a long-gone past or anticipating a possible future.
In spite of remaining positive, you cannot deny that sometimes things do not go the way you would like. It is a rule of life (In a previous article we mentioned duality, i.e. good vs. bad, black vs. white etc.). Therefore the lows are to be expected along with the highs, and vice versa. After all, variety should not be considered as an enemy because it spices up your life, doesn’t it? A bit of upset, turmoil and even disappointment should be welcomed as they inject some excitement into your well organized, sometimes slightly dull existence. Disappointment is necessary in order to appreciate the overcoming of difficulties, in order to fully savor the taste of victory.
The road surface is not always perfectly smooth and the wheels of your car often meet a hole or a hump that make your vehicle jolt. You may find yourself facing a steep slope either uphill or downhill. Later, the road becomes flat and smooth again.
In any case, if your car is in good conditions, if it has enough fuel and if you are a good driver, you can be fairly certain to reach your destination, independently from the obstacles you encounter and that you will have to face. The journey can result faster or slower, comfortable or a bit rough, more or less faithful to your pre-arranged schedule. The important thing is to arrive at your destination safe and sound and (important!) in good spirits. Do you agree?
Therefore, whenever you are facing a challenge — a work problem, a family discussion, a misunderstanding with a friend, a sudden, unforeseen expenditure etc. — the necessary attitude is one of calm and objectivity. Getting upset, over-worried or panicky will not help you solve the problem or simplify the situation. On the contrary. Maintaining a serene state of mind makes you able to see things as they actually are and not as your anger, worry or fear make you see them. Life (people and situations) always appears distorted if observed through the “glasses” of negativity. Remember, yours is the choice about picking one kind of spectacles or another. Black or white? Clear or dusty? Transparent or cloudy? And, according to your choice, you will get the consequent vision, i.e. the “way” you will experience your own life.
