ON FEAR

We live in fear, in fear of losing things which we think we own; our health, our youth, our life, our wife, children, money, job, etc. And indeed, most of our time and efforts are spent to secure these things. We take our bankers’ advice, our lawyers’ advice, our doctors’ advice. We economize, we are jealous of our legal rights, we diet, we take our pills. To somewhat appease our fears of losing our material well-being, we buy insurance, open savings accounts, have medical check-ups, swallow vitamins, jog in the streets. And to have people’s esteem, we appear not as we are, but the way they wish us to be.

Some also fear losing their good reputation, honor, respect, and love. of others. Fewer still are afraid of losing their minds, their faith, their hope for salvation in the hereafter and their religion. The very few who are afraid to lose their faith and their place in Paradise squeeze in a few minutes of prayer a day, a few days of fasting a year, and cheat on the alms which they pay, while they wouldn’t dare to cheat the IRS.

We complain of fatigue, stress, injustice, lack of good luck and of the tyranny of the government, society, economy, bosses, employees, neighbors, mothers, fathers, wives and husbands, our children; just about everything and everybody, and we rarely find fault with ourselves. In spite of all this effort, we cannot eliminate our fears. In fact, the more we try and fail, the corse we feel, and our fears increase. This is the state of the whole world.

The solution which the rulers of this world (the politicians, the media, Wall Street) have found is to offer "circus and wine": amusement and fun. Their remedy is not to seek strength to face this situation, but to forget, to be. distracted. It does not work! The drunkard wakes up with a hangover after a momentary craze; he returns to his problems accompanied by a splitting headache!

In reality there is nothing to fear except ourselves, our ego and its insatiable appetite, which will always want more than it has, even if it had the whole world. What is one supposed to do to stop this insanity. How do we live this life in peace and with sanity? Indeed there is no comfort in this world. It is a hard test which lasts seventy to eighty years, through which we must pass to meet our Lord. It is a test which very few pass because they choose the world and the worldly as their teacher.

[Courtsey : http://www.jerrahi.org/writings_english/onfear.htm]