Comments on: Fear is Not Your Friend

By: Jarrod

Jarrod — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:42:27 +0000

@Eli and Martin: Experience and understanding is what I think is most required. Seeing fear as it is manifesting while maintaining the ability to see it provides this in my own experience.

Yet each to his own experience.

By: Martin Wildam

Martin Wildam — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:47:54 +0000

I agree with you. Allowing to fully feel what you are currently experiencing is a required prerequisite.

By: Eli

Eli — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 08:02:00 +0000

Analyzing and figuring it out is vastly different from experiencing. Whatever you experience fully tends to disappear. The turning point occurs when you become “willing” to fully feel fear. It all depends on ones willingness. It is the most fundamental choice.

By: Martin Wildam

Martin Wildam — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:59:12 +0000

I would say: If you listen to yourself and resolve suffering then you can resolve fear. Continuous fear is your inner self shouting at you to be considered.

Everything that gets suppressed calls back with louder voice until resolved.

By: Jarrod

Jarrod — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:48:43 +0000

@Ari: Right Ari. Ridding yourself of fears in general is a good thing. I guess I tend to look at fear somewhat independent to anything that it may be blocking me from. Then I just work on the fear.

What I’m trying to say is that I see fear attaching itself to things rather than fear being part of an activity. So I separate it and work on it.

By: Ari Koinuma

Ari Koinuma — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 03:28:48 +0000

Well, I am one of the people who said something along that line about fear.

What you’re saying makes sense, Jarrod, but I also think what you’re saying and what I’m saying are both true — perhaps in different context.

A lot of us have developed resistance. Resistance to be ourselves, resistance to face the truth, resistance to following our hearts. When this happens, such directions involve fear. This is when fear is useful as a signal pointing to areas in which we need more healing, mending or overcoming. Overcoming fear is a very effective way to grow as a person.

That said, you’re right, it’s not the case of just blindly looking for whatever you’re afraid of and pursuing it simply because you’re afraid of it. Ultimately, living deliberately according to our values is the ideal way to go.

If you don’t happen to have some psychological scars that stir up illogical (or seemingly logical) fears created by certain interpretations of life events, then it doesn’t apply to you. But such a person is rare, in my experience.

ari