“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain but for the heart to conquer it.
Let me not look for allies in life’s battlefield but to my own strength.
Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved but hope for the patience to win my freedom. Grant that I might not be a coward, feeling your mercy in my success alone; but let me find the grasp of your hand in my failure.”
Fruit-Gathering, Rabindranath Tagore
We are meant to discover and live in fearlessness. It is the reflection of our true nature and our sacred duty to become fearless in our hearts and roar like lions in the big forest called life.
Most of our lives are governed not so much by love but more so by worry and fear. Fear and worry both tell scary tales. Fear has its own language and the power of conviction. Fears have multiplied even more in our modern times. Modern life has become a synonym for fear and worry. Even though fear may not be always visible, it lurks in the subconscious minds of people. And the more we hold onto something, the more we try control life-events and others, the greater the attachment to something, the greater the fear.
Fear is an instinct caused by anticipation or awareness of danger. We share this instinct with animals. It is often a driving force behind many of our actions.
Fear weakens the whole system, particularly the heart and kidneys. Fear saps our vitality, our energy. Every emotion moves within the body in a particular way and affects positively or negatively different organs. According to the Chinese Medicine fear makes the vital energy or prana descend; its movement is downwards. An example of this when there is an extreme state of fear which can cause incontinence of urine or diarrhea.
Healthy conditions of the kidneys and bladder are connected with confidence, courage, and inspiration, while their unhealthy conditions produce fear, lack of self-esteem, and hopelessness. [Ref: Diet for a Strong Heart (Michio Kushi)]
Even though in certain situation fear is natural and justifiable and necessary for our survival, yet it can take completely irrational forms, to such an extent that it has been the ruin, instead of the saving, of a great many people. This is why we should not wait until we have to face great danger before developing the ability to overcome fear.
Some Common Forms of Fear
- fear of speaking in public, fear of not being good enough
- fear of being rejected, fear of being hurt
- fear of not having enough money, fear of loss of job or partner,
- fear of being alone, fear of being disliked or fear of criticism, fear of failure, fear of change; fear of intimacy; fear of commitment
- fear of disease, old age or death
Lying, exaggeration, perfectionism, procrastination, laziness, taking assumptions, gossiping or talking ill about people – all have their roots in fear. Intimidation, aloofness or withdrawal is often mask for fear.
“Is it change you fear? But what happens without it? What is dearer to Nature or more vital to the Universe? Look at everything that sustains you. Can you take a warm bath if the wood doesn’t change? Can you digest your food if it doesn’t change? Can any of your needs be met without change? Don’t you see, then, that the change resulting in your death is no different and similarly feeds the life of the universe?” Marcus Aurelius
Simple Steps To Overcoming Fear
Remember that courage is not the absence of fear – it is the conquest of fear. Fear loses much of its quality of fearfulness when we see it as the summons to putting forth new energies.
Try to come close to that thing you are afraid of.
First get out of the worry-habit! The language of worry is often sleazy. It pretends to be the voice of a good counsel whereas in reality it only suggests fear and possible failure.
Too frequently we allow our minds to fantasize disasters. When worry comes to your mind, recognize it, take a couple of deep breaths and simply drop it. Practice until you master it.
Learn to control your imagination. Courageous people are able to control their imagination. They take no assumptions which are nothing but veiled imagination. They are practical and present.
Face fear. Identify clearly what you are afraid of. The best way of dealing with fear is to face it. Facing fears builds confidence and emotional strength. Work specially with imaginary fears.
Deny fear. This is not suppression. If a child says, ‘I am afraid’, you tell them that there is nothing to be afraid of. Then you explain to the child the actual thing, the Truth. You must positively affirm and assert what is true.
Talk to your mind
If you are worried say to yourself, ‘I am not worried about this. Excuse me my mind, I am not cooperating with you anymore’, as if you were talking to a child.
Meditate with a mantra such as Om in order to still the mind and calm the subconscious.
Use the power of prayer. Say a prayer asking for protection, for the fear to be removed and to have courage to open to life.
Limit the exposure to media; media often creates indirect fears.
Appreciation for life
Wake up in the morning with appreciation for life and be thankful for another day.
Say, “From today I will live with no fear”. Visualize and contemplate courage, replacing negative emotions with a positive image.
Truthfulness and love
Steep yourself in truthfulness, love and harmlessness, and you will know no fear.
Fearlessness means that we should neither fear anything nor inflict fear on others.
Remove the veil of separation
Our true nature knows no fear. Love—where the perception of ‘otherness’ is absent—is the antidote to all fear. When we emphasize differences between others and ourselves the con- sequence will only be fear. Those who try to love and accept what they fear will fear no longer. Wherever there is love, there is no fear; wherever there is fear, there is no love. Love and fear cannot co-exist.
When we see nothing outside of ourselves then we are indeed fearless. Fearlessness is the abolition of all differentiation, all comparison, all ‘otherness’, all duality, all lovelessness. When we are truly united in our heart with someone, we do not fear them. Love knows no fear. The solution to all fear is love.
You are the architect of your own fate and fortune. You are the master of your own destiny. You can do and undo things. You can attain Brahmanhood (Enlightenment, Self-realization) by right thinking, right feeling and right acting. You can break old negative habits by the power of your will. Sivananda
What freedom will you discover when you realize that your destiny is of your own making?! Hard to believe! If it wasn’t true, what purpose would the self-effort have? Wouldn’t be easier to believe in the pre-destination of everything? Yoga says no! You are the maker of your life.
If you failed you can rise again.
If you hated you can learn to love again.
If you have been hurt, you can learn to forgive.
The power of your own Self is beyond the capacity of anybody’s mind to understand. Glory to self-effort! Glory to Grace!
