Contemplation #8

“The whole secret of existence is to have no fear.”
Buddha
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“Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul…”
Matthew (10:8)

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God is not the author of fear.  You are.  When you are afraid be still and know that God is real.”
A Course In Miracles

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“Nothing wastes the body like worry, and one who trusts in God should be ashamed to worry about anything.”
Gandhi
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“Must I fear what others fear? Should I fear darkness when the light is shining everywhere?”
The Tao (verse 20)
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“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil…”
Psalms 23
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Wise men and women, sages, prophets and saints throughout recorded history have addressed the need to break free from the  mind’s instinctual attraction to fear. Everywhere we turn, we are bombarded by fear.  24/7 we receive news from around the globe on the latest catastrophes, diseases, sufferings, evil and death.  The terrorist depends and preys upon the mind’s attraction to fear to weaken resolve and advance their distorted agendas of hate and prejudice, all in the name of God. We live in a fear addicted world.

Let us make no mistake: if we are not engaged in some form of daily practice designed to disengage and heal our mind from the fear that surrounds us in every moment, then our mind absorbs it and grows ever more addicted to it. Let us also remind ourselves that a mind bound by fear cannot know God, joy, peace, health, or happiness. Clinical research now clearly links chronic states of stress, depression, anxiety, worry, and anger to cardiovascular disease and numerous other physical maladies.

The stress created by a mind bound by worry and fear erodes our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. A mind addicted to fear knows no peace. To stay healthy mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, we need a good fear fast diet, and fortunately there are many good ones to choose from.

One of the simplest and most effective fear fast diets is a daily ingestion of gratitude. Making a daily practice to focus, with a genuine heartfelt reflection, on our daily blessings, is a healing remedy for the fear addicted mind. Keeping a gratitude journal, making a sincere resolve to carry an attitude of gratitude throughout the day, setting limits on exposure to news programming, and avoiding negative minded and fear addicted individuals, is a healthy fear fast diet. This fear fast diet can produce healing results in a surprisingly short amount of time. Just be sure to make this  diet a part of your daily lifestyle or your mind will quickly  re-addict.

We live in a fear addicted world. If we do not regularly fear fast, our mind will fall victim to fear and we will lose both our physical health and peace of mind. If you doubt this take a moment and step back, observe what is happening all around you and doubt no more. A daily dose of gratitude cleanses the mind, purifies the soul, and  keeps our heart healthy and awake to love, compassion, and kindness.