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Ruled By Fear: The Basic Human Condition

At birth and for the first few weeks or months of life (if we’re lucky) we reside in a state of unity consciousness. In this state of being there is no sense of separation from the world around us. We feel at ease and safe in the arms of the world with which we find ourselves.  We see ourselves and the world as being one – all part and parcel of the same entity and therefore we feel secure and protected.

However, sooner or later we begin to see ourselves as separate from those around us.  Confronted with life outside of unity consciousness is a very scary business.  Fear is the natural result.  Fear is the emotion that accompanies a state of separateness and alienation. It is the polar opposite of unity consciousness. Fear is the automatic state of being which accompanies the emergence of the ego-self and therefore the primary human condition that visits itself upon us with the advent of self-consciousness.  In other words as soon as we conceive of ourselves as “lone selves” in a world full of other lone selves, fear sets in and takes up residence in our hearts and minds.  This is the plight of every human being.

Of course, some of us are more afraid than others.  Some of us recognize it as a constant companion, while others live in denial and defiance and are therefore unconscious of the fear. The fact remains that once we attain some degree of consciousness of ourselves as alone on this journey of life, we’ve symbolically left the safety of “the garden of Eden”, and must pay the price of an ever present and abiding anxiety.  For indeed is that not the story of Adam and Eve in the garden? They lived in a blissful state of innocence, harmony and unity with each other and everything around them until the day they ate of the fruit of the tree of good and evil(the polarities).  At that point they obtained the awareness of polarity (right/wrong-good/bad, etc) bringing them self consciousness and fear.

This apprehension attends not only our original separation, but we encounter it every time we venture forth from the known and familiar.  It accompanies us on every new venture, every risk we take in life.  Just the thought of separating from a previous attachment can create massive anxiety, even when it’s a positive change.

Fear is the power behind anything that we think of as evil; it is the base of all evil. Malevolence stems from scarcity and deprivation based on fearfulness.  Even the Seven Deadly Sins, as listed by Pope Gregory the Great during the late 6th Century, have fear at their root.  All of the seven vices: pride, envy, anger, sloth, covetousness, gluttony, and lust involve a fear of scarcity, basically that there won’t be enough love, recognition, food or material wealth. Fear of failure is often the cause of sloth, a struggle with indolence or poor self-motivation.

Even lust is nothing more than a numbing attempt to drown one’s anxious thoughts and feelings in fleshly sensation. When love and desire become contaminated with fear, we inadvertently stifle and pervert the flow of abundance in our lives. Addiction and negativity are the result.  Co-creating from fear causes that which we manifest to be less than desirable. We may find that we have created a painful and destructive reality.  Rather than recognizing and owning the part we play in such fear-based co-creations, we will instead play the role of victim crying out, “How could this happen to me?”

When we allow fear to dictate our thoughts and behavior, we are practicing a universal principle called “multiplication through concentration” in its most negative form. A graphic demonstration of this principle might be when we find a small facial blemish that we then can’t leave alone. We worry with it until it has become a big, ugly sore. This is the same kind of thing that can happen whenever we obsess and worry, for obsession and rumination are negative forms of concentration. Concentration leads to amplification.  Performed negatively, we end up growing a problem into twice, even three times its initial size. This principle applies equally to that toward which we focus positive attention.  Through concentration, we deify that upon which we fixate, whether it’s a particular chemical addiction, work, social status, etc. When something commands our complete attention, it becomes a “false idol” that stands between us and Source.

Fear has become a higher power or deity for many in our society today.  If we think of an object of worship as being that which we give the most time, attention (devotion) and dominion, then fear certainly qualifies. Many people spend their lives focused and living in total reaction to whatever frightens them. Religious fundamentalists who spend more time focused on the need to warn, avoid and live in wariness of Satan than they do in rejoicing or proclaiming God, are examples of negative, unconscious worship.  When we think of worship as defined by the time and energy applied, we begin to see that we inadvertently deify whatever we most detest or fear.

The other reality about fear is that it closes off the heart. Love cannot thrive where there is fear, simply because love requires an open heart. If God is love and fear cannot co-habitate with love, then where fear resides God does not. Think about the last time that you were worried or anxious about something. Do you recall the tight-fisted state of your heart? Since Source speaks to us through the heart, we cannot be available if it is slammed shut.  We cannot experience openness or joy _ both of which are attributes of love _ in such a closed-down state. Instead we will react from a fear-base that inevitably leads to more anxiety and suffering.  Denying fear is not the answer, however.  We cannot open an apprehensive heart by demanding it be otherwise. We must instead learn how to open to our fear and “accept” our apprehension with compassion.  This is a prerequisite for transformation and one of our greatest challenges as human beings.

We must become willing to explore from the “inside out” the things from which we ordinarily shrink in fear, things that we are afraid of cannot be resolved from a distance.  Contrary to what we think, denial does not abolish our issues but actually increases them. When fear sets in, denial often follows. Denial may postpone dealing with an issue but it does not eliminate it. Avoidance and/or denial simply intensifies whatever it is we are dreading, thus causing its amplification.  The problem just gets bigger and messier instead of going away. Our challenge instead is to courageously face our fears. In this way, we may discover compassion for that which previously brought only consternation.  Only then can we diminish, rather than deify our fear.

You may notice that I use the word “diminish” rather than “eliminate” in referring to fear. This is intentional. Just as we cannot simply wish away a particular negative core belief, neither can we expect to completely get rid of fear. It is not likely that we will achieve a state of perfection free of any and all obstruction or fear. However we can learn how to move into a space where fear cannot follow.  That place is the NOW.  This moment fully lived is free of fear.  Fear can only stand at the doorway waiting for us to cross over into the anxiety of future or the angst of past failures.  There it rules and we are at its mercy. But as long as we are anchored in the present, fear cannot take over.

The NOW is the place where fear is faced and conquered. By fixing our sights on what is in this moment we are helped to release fears from the past or anxieties of the future.  This creates the possibility of suddenly finding ourselves feeling reconnected to Source. God can only reside in the Present Moment because neither past nor future really exist.  They are man made figments of imagination … mental categories come up with for convenience sake.  Source is the REAL, Living Consciousness that Flows in the NOW. By aligning ourselves with the moment we reaffirm our connection with Source allowing possibility for the regaining of our lost sense of Unity consciousness.  Fear is banished through this alignment.

Source is only available in the present so wallowing in our history of past failures or consternating over the “what ifs” of future possibilities only puts us out of reach of the One Real Solution. Alienation and separation come from living in these two man made states of non reality, i.e. past and future. I invite you right now… for it can only be done now … to say yes to this moment. Ask yourself, “How am I right now?” “What can I do something about in this moment?” Coming fully into the present moment is the single most potent remedy for fear consciousness. Living in the NOW is the only place that fear cannot rule. Being connected to Source in the NOW is the true antidote to fear.

 

One Response

  1. I do believe all of the concepts you have introduced in your post.
    They are really convincing and can definitely work.
    Still, the posts are too brief for novices. May you please prolong them a little from next time?
    Thanks for the post.

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