F.E.A.R - False Evidence Appearing Real
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" - Franklin D. Roosevelt
Fear, initially, is not an option. It is an involuntary emotion evoked from our environment. Although, we must remember, anything external is out of our control and everything internal is manageable. Therefore, fear is nothing to be feared, rather it must only be understood.
From a young age, I have always had a fascination, or curiosity rather, with fear and the exploration of what we can learn. What is fear? Why does it seem to paralyze us? How do we overcome fear? What lies on the other side? The only way to answer these questions is by learning from experience.
While I understand there is a time and a place for most things, including fear, I believe fear needs to be better understood. Fear is an ancestral emotion we leverage to inform us when we may be in a situation that would harm us. Hundreds of years ago, fear kept us alert for a bear that may attack while living in the woods. In today's comfortable society, we no longer have such eminent dangers to face on the daily. Rather, this emotion has become an overwhelming force to most, usually manifesting in the form of anxiety. So fear of a bear attack seems valid if you find yourself living off-grid in the woods. Fear of judgement, on the other hand, usually, this type of fear, only squanders our limitless potential. It is our job, as individuals, to understand the nature of these emotions so that we no longer give them the unwanted power they sometimes hold over us.
Just like most things in life, the only way out is through. How do we overcome fear? We must go through it! For some, fear arises from throwing yourself out of an airplane at 13,500ft, for others it's speaking in front of your entire company, or even, writing a blog post for the whole world to view. Although, in any instance must remember this feeling is only False Evidence Appearing Real.
When fear arises, we must first acknowledge its presence. We acknowledge the feeling without letting it overwhelm us. Once we have acknowledged the fear, we must then internalize and analyze it. Is it valid, or merely our minds playing tricks? Once it has been acknowledged, internalized and analyzed, the only next step is letting go. Just like a crashing wave amongst the vastness of the entire ocean, you let the emotion pass so you can once again be still. By letting go, you no longer allow the fear hold you in a mental prison. You open the levees to the dam of distress. You are immediately lighter, not in a physical sense, but in a mental, emotional, and spiritual sense. You immediately liberate yourself to a state of peace and clarity. Here you will find that the greatest experiences and gifts in life often lie on the other side of fear. These are the moments you will proudly look back on and wonder what was holding you back in the first place.
Just as American ethnobotanist and mystic, Terrance McKenna so elegantly stated, "Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up. This is the trick. This is what all the teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood. This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering its a feather bed". Displaying courage in the face of fear is the only way we can diminish and expel the fears that grip us so tightly. It is the only way we will experience the magic of the universe. So then, what lies on the other side of fear? FREEDOM!
What I believe Roosevelt is trying to teach us, is by tackling your fears, one at a time, you no longer give that fear the power over you. As you continue to dispel the fears you once believed in, you gain strength and elevate your potential. You have now unbound yourself from the paralyzing afflictions of fear to realize that "the only thing to fear is fear itself". Even then, would the fear of fear still exist?
I will leave you with the words of the legendary Jim Morrison, of The Doors, "Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free."
