Fear Advisedly

 

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.”
— Jack Canfied

 

“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.”
— Friedrich Nietzsche

 

It’s amazing how much of a commodity fear can be. It’s an easy place to go to when things are uncertain and we live in pretty uncertain times. Tho as I typed that it occurred to me that there are not too many times in history when that cannot be said. Expose yourself to any media these days and you can see people willing to nurture and direct your fear. They will tell you who and what to fear and why. The current presidential election will most likely be won by the person who can best marshall the fear of the general public and direct it at the same time as they suggest that they have the best methods of conquering the very fear that they nurture.

Be weary of those who seek to direct your fear. Fear too often can turn off our critical thinking capacity and when we fear as a group, we can all too easily become ruled by a mob mentality as everyone seeks to either fight or flee. A mob is too easily controlled by those who wish to manipulate others for their own advantage. There is a lot of that going around these days.

Fear is a natural and primal reaction to the unknown. It is also natural to fear something that has the ability to either injure or kill us. It is not the only reaction tho. It is possible to face something dangerous with respect rather than fear. Most people get over their fear of other people driving on the road or of flying in planes. Both are inherently dangerous yet both are in most cases survived. Knowing that we are taking a risk can teach us to act responsibly and mindfully obeying the rules of the road to avoid an accident. We can use our fear as a wise advisor rather than the monster whom we must fight or flee.

Blessings, G

 

Click on images to see full-sized:

 

EntrancewayEntranceway by G A Rosenberg

 

Warrior Spirit HelmWarrior Spirit Helm by G A Rosenberg