I.D. Soni
Life has become a burden to untold millions. Only a few may commit suicide. The rest die what are regarded as natural deaths but which are, in any case, too premature. So many feel lonely, and loneliness sits as a heavy burden on the heart, its strength, eating into its vitals. Heart diseases are on the increase. Hypertension has become a common ailment. Nervous breakdowns take a heavy toll. It was not so, a few years ago.
- WHAT IS FEAR?
Fear is a child of unfaith. He who lives in fear does not truly believe in God, howsoever much he may have the names of God on his lips. The man who believes in God is released from bondage of fear and ego centeredness. The worst may happen to him : he is unafraid. Misfortune may follow him as a faithful dog : he is unafraid. Poverty and pestilence may stare him in the face : he is unafraid. Imprisoned in a dark cell, taken to the gallows, thrown into the midst of ferocious beasts, he is still fearless, brave, unafraid. For he has given himself over to an all-loving and all-wise God. No longer does he belong to himself : he belongs to God. It is God’s sole responsibility to guard him against all pitfalls, to provide for him all care. So, in every situation and circumstance of life, he gives praise to and glorifies the Lord and utters the one word of gratitude, “Shukur! Shukur!” Psychiatrists tell us that only two fears are present at birth: the fear of falling, and the fear of loud noises. How is it then that we build up so many fears in later life? Does fear have an organic basis? Or is it simply built on our own unconscious processes? People often think that fear is a destructive emotion. This is not entirely true. When we are afraid of things that truly threaten our security, such fear is protective. In fact, I would go so far as to say that man is fortunate to have learnt to fear certain things – or else, the human species would have been wiped out long ago. Let us admit – fear is natural to human beings in many situations. It teaches to be cautious; it fosters our sense of self-preservation. It helps create safeguards for ourselves. It is what keeps us safe and secure. The dictionary defines fear as a painful emotion or passion excited by the expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger. The synonyms are apprehension, anxiety, alarm, dread. “Fear is an un uneasiness of the mind, upon the thought of future danger likely to befall us,” writes the philosopher John Lock. The degrees of this painful emotion beginning with the most moderate may be expressed thus – apprehension, fear, dread, fright, terror. This can be explained, by means of a simple example. Some of us may fancy the idea of ridiing a motor bike very fast – but we would be terrified if we are put in what circus artist call the “Dome of death” – where a motorcyclist loops the loop and rides like a daredevil upside down within a steel dome. The motorcyclist probably experiences some fear – as does the lion-tamer who steps into a cage full of lions, – whip in hand. Fear is part of their job. We will not dare step into the cage or the dome. We would be terrifie. However, we would love to go to the circus or the show and watch them perform! This is considered normal behaviour. There are a wide range of situations that spell danger – and there are an equally wide range of fear responses. We accept our fears as normal fears or ‘founded’ fears, when the fear is in proportion to the degree of danger in a situation. But if the fear response is out of proportion to the danger, it becomes an abnormal fear or phobia. Fear and anxiety are similar – but there is one crucial difference between them : the cognitive component of fear, which is recognisable to us by perception or reasoning. It is the expectation of a clear and specific danger. On the other hand, anxiety is vague and unspecific. “Something awful may happen to us!” Something terrible is about to happen”! is the typical reaction anxiety or panic disorder. Fear is based on reality, or an exaggeration of real danger. Anxiety is based on an irrational or formless danger. - WHAT CAN HELP US TO SHED OUR FEAR :-
(a) Correct action brings freedom from fear :-
Fear seems to have taken possession of almost everyone in today’s world, and has become the biggest stress producer. Fear lies in the sub-conscious and surfaces as and when a situation arises : of possible or imminent loss of Life, property, loved ones or prestige, for example. The greatest fear of all is, of course, that of death, because all physical relationships and material possessions are lost with death. Fear of death, it is said, is worse than itself.
What we fear most is untimely death, and this fear is glowing because of the increasing uncertainties of life today. Scientific advances have made life more comfortable in many ways. However, insecurity has also kept pace with progress. Today everyone feels vulnerable, for anything can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. Our increasing tendency for violence and the growing mechanization of our lives have created conditions in which death is just a careless moment away.
One reason for this insecurity is that more and more innocent people are getting killed in human made situations, which may not even be of the victim’s making. While we do get reconciled to the death of innocents in natural calamities or accidents by telling ourselves that it was willed by fate or that it was beyond our control, acts of wanton killing carried out by humans often leave a deep scar within us because thay shake our trust in our fellow beings.
Medical science has not yet found a cure for fear. Actually, it is a malady of the soul and calls for a spiritual solution. First of all, it requires an attitudinal change. We need to drill into our minds that one only loses by giving into fear. It paralyses the mind, rendering it incapable of doing what it can easily do otherwise. The behaviour of pigeons illustrated this well. Frozen with fear when they see a cat, pigeons just shut their eyes instead of flying away. The result? They get killed. By practising to take on any situation calmly and with courage, we will be able to change our tendency to get frightened by unexpected and adverse circumstances. An other change needed is in the way we look at adversity. All the tests that we face in life, regardless of weather we pass them or not, make us stronger and equip us to face similar tests in future better. If we dodge these tests for fear of failure or loss, we will advance in life no more than a student who refuses to sit for examinations out of examination phobia. The illusion of mortality is the deep rooted cause of fear. It stems from a wrong identification of the eternal self with the perishable body. It can be overcome by the realization of a basic truth : that we are souls and the soul is immortal. This is the first lesson of the Bhagavad Gita. The soul is an actor and the body is like its costume. It takes rebirth, casting off one body to take birth in a new one. What we call death is nothing but the departure of the soul from the body after its role in the present body is over. This is not an esoteric truth just to be wondered at, any one can realize it by practising meditation. Living in soul consciousness over a long period empowers us to overcome the fear of mortality.
While attitudinal change can help us overcome fear to some extent, complete freedom from it requires attention on our actions i.e. karmas. Fear is always about the future, but its roots lie in the past. It is the law of karma that we reap as we sow. Fear is punishment for our sins, small or big. This is why some people are gripped by fear in a situation which others take lightly. The seemingly baseless and even peculiar fears or phobias that people suffer from – fear of going out alone, fear of certain places – are all in some manner influenced by past actions and experiences.
Our mythology eulogises the brave : the story of the doughty monkey prince, Angad, the emissary of Rama, standing his own in the court of Ravana is well-known, and Durga, the eight-armed female deity who rides a lion, symbolizes feminine courage and power. It is with such courage that countless martyrs braved death and great men like Mahatma Gandhi overcame seemingly insurmountable odds.
(b) Love casts out our fear :-
I believe that fear is conquered at all times and in all situations through love. Love casts out fear and frees us from bondage to it. If we are afraid of something or someone, turn our thought our attention, to what we love rather than dwell on the thought of fear. The following meditations can help us to cast out every thought of fear :
(i)Love casts out fear of disease or ill-health
I love the life idea. I fall in love with life. I think life, talk life. I see myself filled with life, the very life of God. I love my body as a temple of the holy spirit, I love and praise and give thanks for the life of God that heals and restores and makes new. With thoughts and feelings of love – love of life, love of the healing idea – . I cast out thoughts of ill-health, disease, of fear. I am in love with life and express the life of God, radiantly, wonderfully, powerfully.
(ii) Love casts out fear of being alone :-
I love my life. I love the place that I call my home. I love knowing that I am never alone, that always God is with me. I pour out my love and I feel surrounded and enfolded by the love of God. I may be alone but I am never lonely. I think with love of dear ones near and far. I pray with love for the blessing of my dear one; and the blessing of the world. I feel a part of the great and wonderful family of God. Love makes me one with God and one with all God’s children.
(iii) Love casts out fear of lack :-
Love casts out poverty thoughts. I love the realisation that I am a rich child of a rich Father. I love the work that is mine to do. I love and praise God as my dependable unfailing resource. I love the flow of good that is endless. I love the supply that is without limitation. I love and use and express the talents and abilities with which I have been endowed. I love the feeling of success and satisfaction that I have because my trust is in God. I love the thought that my daily needs are met that future needs will be met as well.
I express my love cast out thought of lack. I express love, prospering love, as I let myself be a channel of giving and receiving, as I share willingly and freely with others.
(iv) Love casts out fear of failure :-
I love the opportunities that are set before me. I love the challenges that stir me to deeper thought, to greater effort. I love the spirit of faith and courage that : rises up in me, that refuses to let fear dominate. I love the feeling of spiritual power that is mine when I act courageously; when I dare to step out in faith. I love feeling of re-assurance that comes when I listen to my indwelling God telling me that I can succeed.
(v)Love casts out Fear of people :-
I express love toward all and I attract love from all. Love, Divine love, is never mistrusted, never mistrusts. Love, Divine love, never mistreats, is never mistreated. Love is always harmonious. Love breaks down barriers of timidity or lack of understanding. Love is not overpowered by personality. Love meets in agreement with the best in others. Love reveals the good in others. Love sees the God in others. I meet life and people in a loving spirit and life and people respond to me with warmth and friendliness and love.
(vi) Love casts out fear of change :-
I think about change that is taking place or may take place and I affirm, ” I love the thought of change.” Love assures me that through every change God is with me, that in every changing condition or circumstance something new and rewarding, something that is of value and is a blessing is being revealed. I meet change with love and I am blessed by change, enriched by change, made happier by change.
(vii) Love casts out fear of fear :-
Unreasoning fear, fear of I know not what – love casts, out fear of fear itself. I remember that God loves me. What is there to fear? God is love and God loves me. Fear cannot stand in the face of love. “Neither death, nor life ….. nor things present, nor height, nor depth, not anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God.”
Fearlessly I meet life, loving God, knowing that God loves me and that nothing or no one can separate me from the love of God. “there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” - FEAR IS A MERCILESS MASTER :-
The man of faith knows that God is the controller of his destiny and the destinies of all individuals and nations – indeed the entire cosmos. The life of every single individual; is a small but very essential part of the life of the universe. All that happens anywhere in the universe is controlled by God. And God is good and loving and wise. So the man of faith moves through life without fear or worry or anxiety. Knowing that whatever happens is for the best, he resists nothing. He expects nothing and rejoices in all that happens to him. He is never on the defensive : he never feels isolated or alone. Life to him becomes friendly. He trusts everyone, everything. This is what keeps him fearless in a fear-ridden world.
Fear is a poison that quickly circulates through the entire system, paralysing the will, producing a queer sensation in some part or the other of the human body. Fear is a great foe of man. Overcome fear the moment it appears or it will overpower us. And fear is a merciless master. Strike fear with the weapon of the spirit – the word of God. Utter the sacred name dear to us, the name of the beloved; utter it, again and again, utter it in child-like faith and He whom we call will rush to our heart. Not unoften we must repeat this prayer, “we trust in Thee, who guardest all!”.
Expect the best – and we will get it. It is an inviolable law of life. Our thoughts have magnetic power. Thoughts are tremendous forces. Every thought we think is a magnet; it draws to itself what we think about. At a time of any kind of fear we must think success, joy peace, prosperity, courage, fearlessness, and positivity. Rest assured that success, joy, peace, prosperity, fearlessness and positivity will come to us. Let us, therefore, accept the reality, so that we may become bound to enjoy life that is stress, fear and tension free. So may our petty wills be blended with the “Will Divine.”
Significant are the words of Saint Francis : “Where there is compassion and wisdom there can be neither fear not ignorance.” The secret of fearlessness is sympathy, love, tenderness, warmness, fellow-feeling, pity, mercy, clemency, etc.
(The author is President Home for the Aged & Infirm, Ambphalla, Jammu)
