FEAR!
It stops us from doing so many things.
I unknowingly lived virtually the first half of my life in fear. Many of us live in fear and it can have devastating effects on our day to day existence. People give subtle cues regarding social anxiety, if they are uncomfortable in any given situation. These cues often go unnoticed by the world at large because whatever is going on in someone else’s world at any given moment, has little bearing on what is going on in your world. It’s not until the fear overwhelm’s the individual in question, that drastic measures must be taken to allay those fears.
As we move about our environment, danger is real and sometimes bad things happen for no apparent reason. Fear is one response to perceived danger, fear can also be with us when there is no danger in site. Our imagined predictions of the future based on past experiences create the narrative for our present circumstance. Science now tells us that all mammilan animals share similar brain structures. The brain is an incredibly complex structure and MRI studies of human brains show that when fear is present the Limbic region of the brain takes over and we go into the “fight, flight or freeze response” . This is sometimes referred to as our “lizard brain”. This is how we cope on a biological level with perceived danger. People who are in a constant state of anxiety that something bad will happen often end up finding themselves in a state of chronic disease, mental distress and unhappiness.
The state of being paralysed by fear has devastating effects on the mind, body and spirit. It is so important to keep your wits and reflexes about you when faced with a conflict. Conscious awareness at all times allows us to use our intuition while moving through our world. Unfortunately, our connections to our technological devices tend to dull our awareness of what is going on around us when we are out and about in the “real world”. Our phones may be “smart” but they are no substitute for our conscious awareness. We need to stay connected to those moving through our environment rather than being in the “virtual world” when we are out and about. If we are focused on our technology when we are out and about, it can leave us vulnerable to what is happening right in front of our noses! Our fast paced lives need to be kept in check so that we don’t fall down the rabbit hole of fear and blame.
I believe fear is the root cause of all aggression, be it human or otherwise. If we could let go of our fear and come from a place of love, trust and empathy for one another (whatever the species) I believe we could finally break down the barriers that continue to separate us.
So let go of your fear, and enjoy your journey.
