Fear

Fear is a deep emotion that all of us have. Right from our birth, we feel this emotion whenever we encounter something dreadful. It may be real or imaginary. The amygdala at the base of the hippocampus in our brain is the fear center. When threatened it sends signals to the hypothalamus to secrete adrenaline and cortisol. This causes the ‘fight or flight’ response.

There are 2 more responses: freeze (you become quiet) and fawn (you submit to the source). Whatever may be our reaction, fear is meant to protect us. This is a deep-rooted emotion tracing back to the history of civilization and beyond. We cannot remove it completely although we can control it. One way is to control our breathing. A second way is to switch our thoughts.

So, here’s the promise of God from the Bible. ‘Fear not, for I am with you’. In my neighborhood, there is a saying ‘Bhivu nakko, me tujha paathith aahe’ which means, ‘Do not be afraid, I am right behind you’. And then God goes on to say that He will protect us with his righteous hand. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says that fear arises from ignorance.

This is perhaps the crux of it. Where there is knowledge, there is no fear. If we can distinguish between what is real and what is imaginary, the fear response vanishes. Perhaps, the biggest fear is the fear of death. Trust the unfolding of life and death whenever it happens, shall pass. Remember, you don’t die. Your Ego does. Death is not a full stop (.). It’s a comma (,). The book is unfinished ’cause there are many more chapters to come.

God Bless!