Luc Sala

A political agenda for NOW!

Defusing fear

Our world has become a world of terror, anti-terror, fear, anxiety and the major political objective, which is also a human call to action, is to defuse this fear. Not denying or debunking it, but taking it serious, look at the root causes, in the world and in ourselves and deal with them. Defusing fear requires action and awareness, both are essential and we need courage to do this.

Fear has crept into the pores of our societies, our governments and into the behaviour patterns of the people and damaged the psyche of most of us. Fear for known and imaginary enemies, fear for scarcity, climate change, fear for our health, fear for our loved ones, we have fallen prey to terror. We have sacrificed big chunks of freedom, of our creative possibilities to deal with the inner and outer pressures, on the altar of fear. With chaos, uncertainty and even panic as a result, ignoring that fear is dangerous. Facing it and defusing it is different, offers new and different perspectives and solutions.

Let’s deal with it! Let’s deal with it in the way psychology, but in fact ageless wisdom has taught us.

• First become aware that the fear is not us, that it’s a state of mind, of course fed by situations and circumstance, but that our deep inner core is free.
• Then realise that what we believe to be reality is nothing but a personal or collective belief, often a projection, far removed from the underlying truths. We can then approach the level where we accept our misgivings, our shortcoming, the wounded child that resulted from earlier experiences. Not easy, and probably a lot deeper than our material attachments seems to indicate, but a necessary step to get to see our inner core, the beautiful soul of our being. We need to see, accept and understand our shadow, and then we can proceed to clear ourselves, to appreciate that radiant center, our human and thus divine origin. We will find there the strength, the talents and resources to cope with whatever. We are standing upon the shoulders of untold generations, we are the survivors, our genes are the genes of winners, of beings that did cope with geological, climatological and other hazards far beyond what we are facing now.

So let’s look at the challenges in this way.

• Are we afraid about global warming and the climate? Of course there are disasters, earthquakes and upheaval, but we learn all the time how to deal with them. Yes, it will cost a lot, sacrifices have to be made, setbacks will happen, but all the time we see we can do a lot more than we thought. Much time and money is spend on being afraid, complaining and not doing anything, while we know that with some planning and preparation, by not assuming it will not happen here, we can deal with higher temperatures and water levels and heavier storms.
• Are we afraid about our health, let’s see what values and notions and projection we have piled upon that notion of health, which really now only means not being sick.
• Are we afraid about our world falling prey to terrorists, fundamentalists and criminals, let’s see how much terror, fundamental intolerance and criminal intent we have allowed in ourselves and our institutions. Our notions of good and bad are, if we look at them honestly, mostly superficial projections, ignoring what drives us at a deeper level as we are afraid to see what is in us, and has spread in our institutions, government and companies.
• Are we afraid of lust, sex, and therefore curb anything that is joyous, free, happy and natural. Let’s look inside and see how perverted we have become because of all that is forbidden.
• Are we afraid of individual freedom, of the unorthodox, the mystical, the magical, the unusual? Look inside, how much magic we take for granted everyday, how we deny the miracles that happens all the time, the people we meet, the lessons provided.
• Are we afraid of the other? Of course we are, but that other is what we know we are. Acknowledging our own aggression, our own shortcomings will help us to tolerate the other. The hell is not in the other, it’s in us and that’s where we have to deal with it, now!!
• Are we afraid of death? We made death a horror, alienating our dying from whatever and whomever matters to them. We painted death a terrible mask, instead of seeing it as the logical end of our journey and a transfer to another level.
• Are we afraid of GOD? Well, he or she who brought us here, will take us home. Our struggle and fight against the tide is the hell we make ourselves.