I had a conversation with Fear this morning. Fear is not a good listener — it tries to dominate every conversation. Actually it’s extremely rude.
As we sat in the dark, it spewed its syrupy bile upon my doubting soul. You see, Fear’s main goal is to strip you of your power. It tries to beat you down and make you weak. When you’re weak, that’s when you give up.
Now, I am no stranger to fear. I am in constant fight-for-flight mode, so I pretty much think that there is a monster around every corner. I’ve learned, though, that the monster is nothing more than a shadow created by Fear. I’m learning to live in the present and tell Fear to buzz off. Where does Fear come from? Someone much smarter than me once told me that Fear is the Devil. After a few conversations with Fear, I don’t disagree with that. I do know that Fear is about power. When people try to make you afraid (politicians have figured this one out all too well), they are trying to steal your power and manipulate you. Your amygdala will cause you to act quicker than your frontal cortex (the part of the brain where rational thought occurs). Scare the crud out of someone and they will react and go vote, right?
Fear is a sugar rush. The short-term high leads to long-term damage. How do you combat it? Become a warrior. Become strong and step up and reject the effort of anyone trying to scare you. Become a warrior for good. Fear and the people who weaponize it are bullies and you know how to handle bullies. They want you to step back and do nothing so you take action. You punch them in the nose — at least figuratively. Work, Planning and Love are to Fear as salt is to a slug. Those are what courage is made of.
Oh by the way, Fear said hello. It bragged that it is winning in 2020. I told it that as long as there are strong people who stand up to it, it will never win. That it is weak. And Love, which is much stronger, will win the day.
How do I know? I have faith.