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This is just something to think about today. Its Monday and with all the anxiety building for this election, I can see where my prolonged discussion on this topic of ‘fear’ is coming from.
But nonetheless…
Have you ever stopped yourself from doing something simply because of fear?
Last week I drew on this thought by Franklin D. Roosevelt, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Very simple and direct. But sometimes the simplest things says a lot.
What he was really saying is that our fears will only make things worse. I briefly contemplated this subject and I conceived a basic philosophy about fear… about what it really is and how it manifest itself in our lives and I thought:
“There is no definite explanation to what we fear. Fear is simply what we do not know.”
To support this philosophy, I looked at some famous quotes that more evenly connects the dots:
“Fear is the the only enemy born of ignorance…” Edward Albert.
Averroes, a medieval philosopher said almost a thousand years ago, “Ignorance leads to fear…”
And one of my favorite by Arnold H. Glasgow, “Fear is the lengthened shadow of ignorance.”
Its not so much that ignorance causes fear, but what connects these assertions is that ignorance is what prolongs fear – our fears are sustained by what we don’t know.
Standing before a crowd of people, we fear that we are going to fail, but that we don’t truly know and that fear is what makes things worse.
A few years ago, I came across this powerful quote that has lived with me to this day and as I grow older, I begin to realize the truth of it, statement by statement and it goes as follows:
We may be afraid to fail but what if we could just challenge ourselves to realize our true potential?
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Kevin,
There is so much fear right now. I love that quote from Marianne Williamson
It is true that I tend to get frightened more when I am at events where I speak and are public. I think there is often some hesitation from people when they are asked to reveal their truth and their light.
You know, I’m in a place where I still get held back by fear – I recognize the pattern of getting overwhelmed when I think of all that I am doing/not doing – the monkey mind!
But I also am better about tuning it out.
Its interesting – thinking about fear, and what is real and not real… I came across a cool allegory in class. Read it below!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_Cave
The Allegory of the caves! This was apart of a question that I had in my mid term exam. I am so glad that you can relate with this. Its a cool concept.
Its based on the idea of God, and everything that we perceive in the world being false and fake. Not until you actually begin to rationalize and seek the truth, then you are enlightened to what really is and what really exist.
It could apply to the way we feel about the world around us vs what it really is. Thanks for sharing this Michael. Awesome stuff!
Fear is something else! It amazes me at how much we actually put into it and how much ot stunts our growth and potential. I completely agree with both of your interpretations,so accurate. Its so hard for people to challenge themselves so they prefer to stay unaware and safe. Searching for the truth is one heck of a task and one has to really be prepared for everything that comes with it. Im not sure what it is or what it takes to get people to understand and deconstruct fear… but i think once we all get there… life will be forever different. Nothing can truly hold us back at that point and reaching our full potential will only be a matter of dedication and hard work.
Thanks Rai. Enlightening words. Its a work in progress definitely. I believe that the more you trust and believe in yourself, the braver a person you become.
Michael,
Its funny you mentioned Marianne Williamson (Please pardon my lack of reference) because there has been so much controversy over who came up with this quote.