“There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with desires” – Lord Buddha
Buddha’s quote has put one of the various tendencies of the mind so simply that it seems fear is something of little or no value when compared to others like anger or greed. However, when one starts dealing with one’s fear it seems a whole mountain to climb so as to overcome it.
Fighting your fear can be obnoxious but the battle is yours to win. The harsh reality is, fear is cultured by people rather than being inborn inheritance. It gradually fits into your nervous system by your own self-delegations. At times, it can be intrinsic when any threat pops out like a snake in your balcony. But people are mostly worried about fear that is gratuitous like meeting new people, fear of rejection, fear of flying, public speaking or fear of failure. Facing these kinds of fear can be a sign of diving into a new realm where you never introspected much before.
Everyone has fears and as long as one is human it is natural. It is only that understanding one’s fears makes it easy dealing with them. All fear stems either from ‘what if’ or ‘what if not’. In both cases one is looking at a future situation which is somehow not turning out the way one has envisaged thereby causing hurdles in fulfillment of desire. Does that mean one must not desire anything because that will again mean to be something not human?
Here are some ways which can help us understand fear:
1. Let’s say we plant a mango tree. Why do we do it? Obviously because we want mangoes. Now what are we supposed to do. To make sure we take care of it by providing adequate water, sun nutrients and protection to it. But what if it doesn’t rain enough or rains too much, what if some pest gets to the plant, what if some goat eats the whole plant or maybe the plant becomes a tree but what if not the mangoes are not sweet enough, what if not the numbers are good!!!!!!!Too much for the little mind to cook eh! So this brings us to an important fact that ALL FEAR IS A MIND THING. It is all self created which has no existence. The choice is totally on its creator for how long you want it to live.
2. As pointed earlier, since the genesis of all fear is either ‘what if’ or ‘what if not’, fear has a great deal to do with one’s insecurity. Man wants a blueprint of almost everything and wishes to tread a path or make a choice about which he is extremely sure. Any kind of uncertainty gives the perfect ground for seeds of fear to germinate. This is also because whatever it is be it real or imagination people don’t wish to look at anything that is not a part of their comfort zone. They feel insecure and therefore fearful to think of anything beyond the comfort zone. But as they say, it is always better to step out of one’s comfort zone as nothing really grows there. So even if every plan or goal may have its what ifs and what if nots, it is OK. One just needs to look at them with a new outlook.
3. Another interesting fact about fear is, since it is all mind’s creation, it starts to loosen its grip over a person’s mental peace once you start to address it by looking it in the eye. It is a simple practice worth trying and one can see its effect. If at any point you are feeling fearful just take a moment and ask yourself what it is that is making you afraid. Address the fear. It may take you few moments to few minutes just sit with your fear and ask all questions around it. Get to the root of it and you will see in a few minutes it will lose its grip and also present you with some ways as to how to fix it in terms of taking appropriate action. For example if you are fearful about the failure of a task at hand, while addressing the fear you may come up with ways to ensure how to do the task more effectively.
Remember the mind is a fabulous tool given to us to assist us in living our lives with ease. It is only a waste if we use it in creating something like fear which makes us less productive. Isn’t it funny that first man creates fear and then gets so overwhelmed by it that he wishes to have ways to overcome it. The truth however is fear is non-existential. Whatever fear is there it is about some moment of not known future. It has no relevance in the present moment. Just take it easy and take life moment to moment. It is just what is needed to shoo any fear away.