Fear

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

— Paul Atreides, "Dune" by Frank Herbert
Fear is indeed the mind-killer, the tiny acorn that if given the opportunity, blossoms into the mighty oak tree of inaction, mental and physical paralysis. Fear of failure. Fear of not being good enough. Fear of rejection. Fear of success. Fear of what has already happened. Fear of what is happening now. Fear of what hasn’t happened yet. The list is as endless and vast as the scenarios our minds can dream up.

Fear is the fog that blankets our core, the essence of who we truly are. And when the essence of who we are cannot be seen, the beauty of who we are cannot flourish and be appreciated. Alcoholics Anonymous has a saying that defines this perfectly. When we admit to and face our fears, those fears cannot hold power over us anymore.

Buddhism tells us when we practice mindfulness (the attentive awareness of the reality of the things around us) we employ a powerful antidote to things like fear. There are many ways to achieve mindfulness; my personal favorite is to concentrate on the exhale portion of my breathing. When we practice and achieve mindfulness, we allow ourselves to become quiet and centered. When we become centered, the fog of fearfulness is lifted. Our fears no longer have power over us and we are allowed to step into the warm sunlight of the here and now, achieving a calm awareness of our bodies, our minds and our feelings.