Fear!

LittleToe

Fear

False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

"Fear only fear itself", is a maxim that I regularly used to use, until the habit became ingrained.
It was truly liberating. I offer it only because it personally helped me. If it is a "truth" or "truism", then it is one which must be discovered as such by yourself. What is true for me, may not be for you.

In "Dune" Frank Herbert put it this way:I will not fear
Fear is the mindkiller,
Fear is the little death
That brings total Oblivion
I will permit my fear to pass
Over me and through me
And where it has gone
I will turn the inner eye
Nothing will be there
Only I will remain.

I should just highlight that the "little death" refered to here is not "le petit mort"

Discuss...

under74

ummm....wait--ask me a question.

sorry, just a hard one to comment on for me...

under74

Okay. okay... thought about it and I would say...

"Fear only fear itself"

...is true for me as well. It's hard at times, but usually I figure it's all in my head and move forward...and this works as far as I'm concerned.

funkyderek

"Fear only fear itself"

And man-eating sharks.

Xena

While I understand fear can be debilitating, can't it also though serve as a protection? Fear sometimes keeps us from taking risks that might prove detrimental to us.

Fear makes me check to ensure my doors are locked at night.

Fear keeps me from going alone at night to certain areas.

Fear makes me ensure I know where my daughter is at any given time.

So I think some fear can be a good thing as long as you are balanced in how you handle and view it.

Narkissos

Perhaps the most intimate question ever.

I tend to associate fear with youth as I continually struggled with various kinds of fear (from social anxiety to metaphysical Angst) in this period of my life. I was deadly serious, and so very subject to fear. As time goes by, you just don't take yourself seriously enough to fully believe in your own fears.

I can remember some of my young JW strategy, which boiled down to "fear God more than man"; a kind of imaginary homoeopathy (fight fear with fear). A good Bible equivalent of "fear only fear itself", with the added "God" element, was Jeremiah 1:17: "Do not break down before them, or I will break you before them." Or the equally paradoxical Proverbs 14:26: "In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence." A lot of pressure anyhow.

Then I learnt to think more along the lines which Ross quoted:

I will permit my fear to pass
Over me and through me
And where it has gone
I will turn the inner eye
Nothing will be there
Only I will remain.

I didn't know those, but I often felt just like that: I am not my fear: let it come and go.

Also analysed it a bit: fear is overwhelming as a compound and when you separate pain and sorrow from it, it gets much more bearable.

Experienced a bit of "in love there is no fear" too.

And at that stage also learnt not to fear being fearless -- in contrast with the famous Calvinist statement: "If you fear not, fear; if you fear, fear not."

Btw, la petite mort is nothing to be afraid of...

jgnat

Fear is useful in emergencies. I would much prefer to be defended by a soldier or policeman who has a healthy fear of being shot at.

Ironically, in most of the world we are much safer. Few of us have to worry about being eaten by a sabretooth tiger on the way to work. Adrenaline response (fight or flight) is rarely required these days. Yet, many people live in fear every day.

Chronic fear over what might happen has debilitating effects on our mental and physical health. Adrenaline sucks all the blood out of the brain and pools it in the belly. Constant fear puts a strain on flesh and bone, chronic illnesses result. People reacting in fear make stupid decisions, lash out, and can unintentionally hurt others. Cults and Presidents know that they can (temporarily) move masses of people in the direction they want through fear. Think stampede.

Knowing what I know, I have a very low opinion of any leader who resorts to fear-mongering.

LittleToe

Didier:
I was gonna avoid the immediate biblical comparisons, but since you've introduced them, 1Joh.4:18 is my favourite:

KJV "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."

There are parallels here, though the maxim came before the acknowledgement of the scripture, in my own case.

I'm not so keen on the homeopathic remedy to fear, either. It just seems to transfer the source from one place to another, with no real relief.

Thanks for the language correction. I was running on memory there
But, oh, what a death!

Xena:
Understood. However, whilst that gut reaction is important (and you know that I'm all for developing intuition), can't that also be acheived by thought processes?

I know I live in a reasonable-risk area, or hgher, hence:

Wisdom makes me check to ensure my doors are locked at night.
Wisdom keeps me from going alone at night to certain areas.
Wisdom makes me ensure I know where my daughter is at any given time.

I would also accept that some people seem to have neither wisdom, nor fear. Maybe they should be entered into the list of "Darwin Award" nominees...

LittleToe

jgnat:

Knowing what I know, I have a very low opinion of any leader who resorts to fear-mongering.

I have to agree with you, be that political or religious leadership.

I was surprised to see the level of security and the quantity of news reporting on the Middle-East crisis, over in the States, during my last two visits. It doesn't make anywhere near the same tind of stushy, over here.

Xena

What prompts your wisdom?

and what is "tind of stushy"?

Fear!

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