Fear Makes Us Stupid
Calm the ocean of your thoughts, and the beaches upon which you walk will be peaceful.
-D. Scott Sonnenburg
As we watch the slow-motion train wreck that is life in the 21st century, it is apparent more than ever that fear is the primary motivating impulse of the human animal. And it is a scientific fact that yes, in fact, fear makes us stupid. Worry and fear cause stress, and the stress response, by its very design, shunts resources from the slower processing “higher” brain to a more primitive portion called the hindbrain so we can react more quickly (instinctively) when faced with a threat. The problem is that we are continuously under threat, or we think we are, so the system is perpetually activated to some degree. The effect is more and more people are spending more and more time living in a fearful and primitive mind-state where higher thoughts and states of consciousness are sacrificed to the survival-at-any-cost mindset. Monkey brain wins. When we look at what is happening in society presently, this explains a great deal.
When fear like this is accepted as normal and becomes a way of being, it acts as an energetic cancer and will destroy everything in its path, given time. It is physically destructive and spiritually stunting, and it robs us of the joys and beauty of life.
Let us not forget division is arbitrary. Safety is an illusion. Opinions can kill. Freedom and fear are incompatible and inversely proportional. Discontentment breeds and then feeds upon itself. Hatred and fear narrow perception and are thieves of reason, compassion, and peace.
It is so unnecessary. In a dystopian Darwinian nightmare, we are pitted against one another by forces unseen, and divisions are created where there are none. We compete when we should cooperate and attempt to divide the indivisible by putting people into little boxes based on their appearance, thinking, or beliefs. The effect is that everything then becomes a struggle for power and validation, and we engage in an unwinnable battle to be right. So we end up in our corners, ready to fight. All we need is the bell to ring.
Fear-based division and chaos are being thrust upon us from every angle, and no social, political, or religious paradigm is innocent. Some seem addicted to indignance and anger, but overwhelming benevolence is a part of us; we only need to acknowledge it, as lost as it seems. Each moment is but a probability, a pinnacle of creation and motion, the choices endless, the paths infinite, all instigated by the slightest intention, the tiniest of mental actions.
We must learn to choose our thoughts carefully.
Our lives, days, and environment, inner and outer, are all experienced differently based on our state of mind. A joyful heart sees a different world and experiences an entirely different reality than a rigid, fearful, or hateful one. Life forever reinforces itself- joy begets joy, sadness begets sadness; we can choose to grow or die. Every day, in whatever place we find ourselves, we can find more beauty, more of a reason to be, more of a sense of purpose, and more inner peace. We can always add more meaning and significance to our lives.
Fear is the seed of suffering, and to one degree or another, suffering is everywhere. Everywhere you look, it is nakedly displayed on people’s faces and in their words. But suffering is only helpful if it teaches us how not to suffer. Suffering beyond this is pointless- and tragic.
Our thoughts intertwine to create the world. You can pick how to wield this mighty sword of creation with your thoughts, ideas, discernments, and judgments. Unfortunately, consciousness is mostly “unconscious” for most of us and is often used to “miscreate” unconsciously.
In the coming world, it will be more critical than ever for us to get a handle on our inner realities. I am afraid the external reality we will experience will not be very pleasant if we do not. It is in our hands. But more importantly, it is in our hearts.