The fact is, we can’t get rid of fear. Why? Because the earth dimension is marvelously designed as the perfect classroom in fear. Our purpose in signing up for this class is to understand fear and overcome fear in this lifetime.
Take a look around at this classroom. Nowhere in the physical universe will you encounter such a rich and diverse array of physical forms, both natural and made by the human hand. Everywhere you look there is physical form: the paper you are reading, your computer, the chair you are sitting on, the clothes you are wearing, the food you eat, the house you live in, the trees outside your door, the river that rushes by in the woods, the birds in the sky, the bugs under your feet. All is form on planet Earth.
One thing we know about form is that it does not last. Whether it is a piece of chocolate, our physical bodies, the Sangre de Cristo mountains, or the Earth planet itself, all physical form eventually dissolves, dies, disappears. That is the nature of the physical universe, and this causes fear. The impermanence of earthly life and the uncertainty of life cause survival fears in all humans.
Part of our challenge, then, is this: can we learn to accept the impermanence of life? Can we learn to allow the uncertainty which is present in every moment? As we journey through this dimension in a human body that has a fairly short “shelf life”, can we overcome our individual fears?
A look at our past shows us how difficult this assignment has been and the very slow progress we have made as a species in this area. Under the pressure of fear we’ve made poor choices. We continue to spend our energies trying to control and dominate our lives and each other, caught in the illusion that this is the way out of having to deal with the earth lessons of impermanence and uncertainty. We give up the direction our hearts would take us for the illusion of security in a dimension that by its very nature is insecure. Around and around like squirrels in a cage we go, century after century, hedging the very thing we came here to learn. Our evolution depends upon our willingness to do the inner work required to respond to fear consciously. Overcoming fear is the journey.
Making Friends With Fear
The fact is, we can’t get rid of fear. Why? Because the earth dimension is marvelously designed as the perfect classroom in fear. Our purpose in signing up for this class is to understand fear and overcome fear in this lifetime.
Take a look around at this classroom. Nowhere in the physical universe will you encounter such a rich and diverse array of physical forms, both natural and made by the human hand. Everywhere you look there is physical form: the paper you are reading, your computer, the chair you are sitting on, the clothes you are wearing, the food you eat, the house you live in, the trees outside your door, the river that rushes by in the woods, the birds in the sky, the bugs under your feet. All is form on planet Earth.
One thing we know about form is that it does not last. Whether it is a piece of chocolate, our physical bodies, the Sangre de Cristo mountains, or the Earth planet itself, all physical form eventually dissolves, dies, disappears. That is the nature of the physical universe, and this causes fear. The impermanence of earthly life and the uncertainty of life cause survival fears in all humans.
Part of our challenge, then, is this: can we learn to accept the impermanence of life? Can we learn to allow the uncertainty which is present in every moment? As we journey through this dimension in a human body that has a fairly short “shelf life”, can we overcome our individual fears?
A look at our past shows us how difficult this assignment has been and the very slow progress we have made as a species in this area. Under the pressure of fear we’ve made poor choices. We continue to spend our energies trying to control and dominate our lives and each other, caught in the illusion that this is the way out of having to deal with the earth lessons of impermanence and uncertainty. We give up the direction our hearts would take us for the illusion of security in a dimension that by its very nature is insecure. Around and around like squirrels in a cage we go, century after century, hedging the very thing we came here to learn. Our evolution depends upon our willingness to do the inner work required to respond to fear consciously. Overcoming fear is the journey.