In the throes of World War II, President Roosevelt calmed a panicky nation with the memorable words, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Decades later, fear is as pervasive as ever; it almost seems abnormal not to be afraid!
Masters of every age have echoed FDR's message, for they know fear is one of the major barriers to fulfillment, peace, joy and spiritual attainment. Too many have shrunk back from the door of the Infinite for fear of what might lie beyond it - or of losing familiar comforts.
To desire fearlessness is one thing; but to really live it is quite another. The latter can only be achieved by raising our consciousness to a place where fear is impossible.
Our minds create fear
As a young bride in a strange new city, I was overly influenced by news reports of man's inhumanity. How they love to scare us! The more I listened to them, the more fearful I grew that it was only a matter of time before I too became a victim of some terrible crime.
My husband's job required him to travel a lot, leaving me alone with my over-active imagination. Our neighborhood of bungalows, apartments and cottages seemed safe enough, but I was aware that the inner city and its frightening denizens lay just blocks away.
One dark night, I noticed some suspicious activity at a neighbor's house: someone was running back and forth between the house and a car with the motor running. It must be a burglary, I concluded. So I called the police, who investigated and later knocked on my door to record my statement.
The “suspicious characters” turned out to be the neighbors themselves, bringing puppies home. All was well. How foolish I felt for fearing the worst.
Reflecting on this incident, I realized that the only place there was any trouble was inside my own mind. Further reflection extrapolated that realization across suffering humanity: The vast majority of fears are baseless; they are born and cultivated in our minds, and nowhere else! That which we fear rarely comes to pass-unless we draw it to us by over-indulging in fear to the exclusion of more positive thoughts.
That being the case, I could choose whatever mental state I wanted. My reasoning went like this: Did I enjoy living in fear? No way! Release it, then, and see what happens. Even if some horror did happen to me, I would only make it worse by being afraid. From that moment on, I chose fearlessness, tempered with common sense, as my normal state. I didn't realize it then, but this was a major step that would eventually lead me to my spiritual path.
Tests
Did that put an end to my fears? Not quite. The old fear-monster doesn't give up without a fight; occasionally it reared up from my tightened gut, as various phobias put my conviction to the test.
Being up high had always conjured images of losing my balance and plunging to my death. A rational fear, I reasoned, since such a fall really could damage the body severely. That old fear of falling dug its claws into me one lovely afternoon as I toured the highest waterfall in the eastern U.S., Whitewater Falls. The best view is from a ledge across the valley, with no barrier to prevent one from tumbling into the gorge some 300 feet below.
When my turn came to step onto the cliff's edge, I shrank back. Once again, I realized, I had let fear get the better of me. This time, it was preventing me from enjoying the beautiful sight I had traveled miles to see. Jealously I watched one tourist after another step easily onto the overlook, drinking in the beauty of the falls.
“If they can do it without falling,” I thought, “why can't I?”
“Your sense of balance is just as good as theirs,” my higher Self answered back. “If you can stand upright everywhere else, there's no reason you can't do so on that ledge.” All that stood in my way, I saw, was the fear my mind had manufactured.
So, squaring my shoulders and summoning as much courage as I could, I ordered the fear firmly to be gone - and moments later, confidently stepped onto the ledge. The magnificent view was exceeded by my victory over my fear of heights. I even turned my back to the falls (unthinkable when the fear was in charge) and had my photo taken.
The way out
In Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna reassures us: “Even a little of this practice (Raja yoga) will save you from dire fears and colossal suffering.” I find such teachings far more comforting than religions that threaten eternal damnation for non-believers. To use fear to bring people to God seems downright subversive!
