Helping People grow!

Whatever growth has been made thus far in life has been made by challenging fear. Going to school, learning to drive, swimming and dancing were accomplished by facing fear. We date, propose, become engaged and marry by not yielding to fear. Fearlessness enables us to decide and act freely in accord with our own inner voice.

 

The feeling of being stuck or stagnant is caused by fear. If we fear being ridiculed and abandoned, or appearing foolish and eccentric, or losing comforts and safety, and if we live life in reaction to these fears, we lose touch with ourselves. As a result, we feel like we are wearing a mask which creates a rift between what we think of ourselves and what we want others to think of us. This further compounds our problem by adding the fear that others will discover who we “really” are and then adding the fear that we will not know how to respond to the discovered reality.

 

We have to decide for ourselves whether we want the joy of safety and comfort or the joy of fearlessness at the risk of losing safety and comfort. It is the same old question of whether we want instant gratification with later confusion and remorse or later satisfaction with current patience and a little discomfort. This is facing the same question in a more complex form. We may be more inclined toward comfort and safety rather than fearlessness. But deeper thinking will inspire us to choose fearlessness.

 

What are we afraid to lose? What can be saved by fearing? If you attained everything you desired except fearlessness, would you consider yourself to be successful? Aren’t you holding on to everything only to be ultimately fearless?

The more we hold on to something, the more we become fearful of losing it. Our attachment is the root of our fear. We create this attachment by depending on something for pleasure. To be really free from attachment or fear, we will have to create another avenue of pleasure. But as long as this avenue is outside ourselves, we are bound to become attached; we are bound to fear losing the source of our pleasure. To be really fearless, either we have to find joy within ourselves through meditation, or we have to find joy in our heart through selfless love.

 

Do not dismiss this truth just by saying it is too hard or difficult. You don’t dismiss your sickness by saying it is too hard to recover. As you do not give up on health, don’t give up on fearlessness. Start with facing simple, easy fears and gradually you will be ready to face any eventuality. Remember your past history of getting out of small fears, such as facing your first day of school, giving a speech, or going on a date. This remembrance will build your confidence.

If we are not ready to be fearless, we are not ready to attain Wisdom. Wisdom requires going beyond our personality. As long as we are fearfully stuck with our self-image and personality, we cannot realize impersonal, universal essence.

The tradition of monks in different religions and cultures was meant to be a tradition of fearlessness. But fear is so powerful that even renunciates often conform blindly to social norms for safety and comfort. It is rare to find zeal for Truth and Wisdom free from fear.

 

Accept your fear humbly, but do not submit to it in a cowardly manner. You never gain anything without losing something. Don’t fear to lose. If you fear to lose what you have, you will never gain anything great. Life is a gamble. Learn to gamble detachedly, courageously and intelligently. Do not try to save food by starving your body. Don’t save your body by killing your soul. Your body will die anyway. Have clear priorities and you will be more inclined to take risks and face challenges.

Fear cannot save us from aging and dying. Fear cannot make our jobs or relationships secure. And if we are not willing to be fearless in a healthy relationship and a secure job, we are stuck with fear forever. If the situation is already unfavorable, what do we fear to lose? We have to develop power to let go of those things that we are bound to lose sooner or later. And that includes our job, our relationships, and our body too.

Death is the greatest cause of fear. You know you cannot escape death, yet you are seldom inclined to think about death. If you could come to terms with death, all other fears would become easy to handle. Plan to face death. Be ready to die. Then celebrate life until you die.

 

Don’t fear to break religious, beliefs and customs. The differences in religions, beliefs and customs prove they cannot be right for everyone. Learn to give validity to your own common sense and conscience. If you are sincere, Universal Light will guide you through your own heart. Be bold! Compromise with nothing that makes you fearful. Nothing is so precious that you cannot renounce it for the sake of being fearless.

 

Don’t be self-conscious. Intelligently express yourself freely. If you act smart, you inspire others with your intelligence. If you act dull, you give support to those who are in a similar situation. You will lose nothing. If you are not a help, at least you provide amusement for others.

 

Accept the challenge of life. Be the chosen hero. If you do not settle with fear, nothing can stand in your way.