Stop being scared....

by PaulMarshall 11 Replies latest jw experiences

  • PaulMarshall
    PaulMarshall

    God morning from a beautiful and sunny London. It has not gone unnoticed at the many people on this site that have documented their fear of the future. I thought the response I sent to one of our friends, might be useful to someone else with the same, debilitating thought process.

    If you strip away all the scientific and intellectual banter we are so able and readily available to indulge ourselves in, the simple truth remains. You, me and everyone else who is reading this, have the capacity to not be afraid. Like any phobia, which presents itself as a fear, you can overcome it and actually thrive on the now and like many phobias, it’s learnt behaviour. http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformation/mentalhealthproblems/anxietyphobias/anxietyphobias.aspx

    The now when you think about it IS the future. As a tiny example, by the time you have read this, you are already in the future and so by projecting yourself in the right direction, you are steering your own very personal experience. If you are able to read this and make sense of it, in essence get it and have lost your way through illness, be it physical or mental, you are capable of controlling your perception and how you view world events… If only you will allow yourself. It is like learning to swim. The panic of not being able to swim will ultimately bring about your demise in deep water. If you are incapable of getting your head around what is physically happening to you at the time, you risk drowning! Relax, breath and you’ll float naturally! I grew up afraid. Afraid of the present and certainly afraid of the future. The anxiety I felt was debilitating and very real.

    The interpretation of world events within the organisation is that, an interpretation. If you speak to a devout Buddhist, they will real off reams of doctrine dating back thousands of years that pertain to the time we are now in. Nostradamus, and practically every orchestrated religious theologian will be able to say we are heading for something. Of course we are! We are sucked into the future without any control over it. This in itself can be deemed scary. That said, you are in control of where you are and who you are right now. The thing to remember is that while you are dealing with the angst of fear, your energies are not available to hold you up so you can proverbially float enabling you to enjoy the deep blue sky, the sun of your face and the sheer sensation of being.

    Many are in a state of inertia through sheer confusion. Stop and listen to yourself. Really listen to yourself. Take control of the inner you and make yourself calm. Today is good, and so is even better! If only you will let it. We are all going to pass on and die eventually and I for one don’t know anymore more than that, and nor should I. It is merely human arrogance to think we should. I know more need to know what is on the far side of the moon that I need to know, what the ultimate future holds for mankind. My responsibility to mankind and for myself is right now. It is here. It id this afternoon, this evening and tomorrow morning. It has taken me a while to get to this stage in my life and a lot of personal anguish and journeying, but I reckon I am OK. I am certainly happier. It is good to rest for a while and put down the heavy backpack of my ex dub persona! It’s great to drink in the view of life as opposed to battling with my destructive vices because I don’t feel worthy enough to be happy.

    What I am trying to say is this; Think about something really really simple for a moment, think about trees for example! Think about the way the trunk holds it up. In your minds eye, look up into its branches as watch as the light dances amongst its leaves, and it gives way to the breeze. Watch as it sheds old leaves to make way for both rest and new growth. The thing is its life cycle is so slow we miss it. Generally speaking, a tree lives far longer than us and it grows so slowly, we can simply miss it. We just see a tree, when what we should be seeing is a living organism in control, a life that has moved each leaf and branch, in order to gain optimum light and energy within it’s own unique space on this planet. To make the most of what is on offer. It's a great life lesson for us to learn. The tree just does things so slowly we cant see its real life experience easily within our own time continuum, even though we share the same space. Again like many trees if you move them, they can simply wither away and die. It's like leaving the organisation; you need to realign your thoughts in order to gain insight. To gain clarity about bigger picture is no different, we can’t see the future, any more easily than we can watch a tree of 400 years old grow. We can only react to where we think we need to get to for the best of life’s light and energy. Think about it :O) Move your thoughts to where they best serve you. NOT the other way around. That way you can think and see clearly. It is not a problem it is a challenge to coin a very cliched phrase.

    Although I am confident I was brainwashed throughout my child and early adulthood. www.objectivethought.com/atheism/cult.html I am now confident I am free to make my own mind up about my identity and who I am and what I believe.

    Life is about change and I am changing and so should you. Dwell on the positives not the gloom of destruction, Focus on the light and energy of living. That is the godliest thing you can do…for both your present and your future.

    Your friend Paul

  • anewme
    anewme

    Paul that was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

    Thankyou so much friend!

    Anewme

  • poppers
    poppers

    The now when you think about it IS the future.

    I would put it this way: thinking is what creates psychological time. Without thinking there is no time at all, just the present moment unfolding - the ever present moment as it is. Even the word "now" implies time, for with "now" comes variations of "not now", like the past and the future. Most people spend most of their "time" in their minds, and therefore miss the only thing that exists, the present moment. People for the most part cast an overlay of past experiences and belief on what is unfolding, or they project a future onto it based on memory. In either case they become trapped in mentally created time, and that is fertile ground for fear to take root. They take "what is" and apply memory from the past or project it into the future, thus distorting what is taking place.

    What is critical is to examine exactly "who" does this. See if you can find the "me" who creates fear by asking "What/who am I really?" and then sincerely look. I guarantee you won't find a separate and distinct "entity", only momentary IDEAS of who you take yourself to be and the awareness in which those ideas arise. In other words, what you take yourself to be isn't actually real, only imagined, and ideas are only thoughts. Can "you" be a thought?

    Without a "me"/thought there is peace which doesn't depend upon anything, there is silence, there is fulfillment, and no place for fear to arise.

  • PaulMarshall
    PaulMarshall

    Hi poppers. That is a great place to aim for....

    Paul

  • PaulMarshall
    PaulMarshall

    Hi. I must apologise for the typos! It is hard to write from the heart and be in the office at the same time with so many distractions.

    Take care.

    Paul

  • Brigid
    Brigid

    PaulMarshall,

    You have a gift for word-craft. This was beautiful. I hate to see people fomented and driven by fear. Some of the worst atrocities in the human schema initiate from a place of fear.
    This was especially beautiful and poignient:

    The thing to remember is that while you are dealing with the angst of fear, your energies are not available to hold you up so you can proverbially float enabling you to enjoy the deep blue sky, the sun of your face and the sheer sensation of being

    One thing is for certain. We shall all die, it is an assurance we are born with. I stole this, but it's true: "To conquer Death, Embrace Life" or something like that.

    Embrace the moment instead of letting your imaginings become dark and oppressive. Take the milkshakes life offers you: A beautiful sunset. The delighted smile of a child. The gentle caress of a lover.

    Love and Light,

    ~Brigid

  • foundfreedom
    foundfreedom

    Life is about change and I am changing and so should you. Dwell on the positives not the gloom of destruction, Focus on the light and energy of living. That is the godliest thing you can do…for both your present and your future.

    Thank you so much for your post, you made my day so much better and showed me that its always good to look on the bright side of things and never to dwell on the negative.

  • Arthur
    Arthur

    Thank you so much Paul. This was a great post!

  • PaulMarshall
    PaulMarshall

    Hi Brigid.

    Thank you so much for your message. I have had some lovely replies from people who gained something from my posting, so that made it very muhc worthwhile for me

    Take care

    Paul

  • Twitch
    Twitch

    Kudos to sir, you are a jeweller of words
    "The now when you think about it IS the future."
    This train of thought took me from dubtown to freeville, lol.

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