The past couple of months has been about preparing and planting my garden. There was a lot of clearing to be done It as always has been both a grounding and challenging enterprise. So far not much has sprouted. I have been digging and planting seeds, with little results. I see this as a allegory for the world today. Many of us may feel that it is difficult to see progress in personal striving or in world events.
As I work in the garden my thoughts have often gone to the effect fear has on everyone. I think our society and many of our personal decisions are driven by fear. This fear, deeply rooted in the population, is holding back the populist push that is needed to drive progress.
Fear stops people from right action. I am amazed that so many are fearful. People who "should" know better, people who have led eventful lives, who are spiritual practitioners, and who want to do what is right are fearful. Fear warps judgement and leads to misdirected or non actions. For those who are arming due to fear, my question is "What are you going to do with weapons?" Defending oneself involves bravery not fear. Certainly a defense built on non violence is preferable to one built on guns.
Along with fear, I think many are experiencing hopelessness. A lack of hope make all action seem ridiculous. Their reasoning is why take action when nothing is going to matter. Being with out hope can be paralyzing, and certainly not conducive to creating positive change.
At the same time that we are experiencing fear and lack of hope, there is also the arising need to engage in the world. The world is crying out for right engagement - engagement that is not selfish, motivated by greed and the wish for power. Although we are all human, and therefore all damaged to a greater or lesser extent, the need to overcome fear and hopelessness and to engage in the world is great. Without our engagement the degradation we see will continue. With our engagement there is still hope for a better world. As Franklin Delano Roosevelt is credited with saying in his first inaugural address "There is nothing to fear but fear itself".
As I work in the garden my thoughts have often gone to the effect fear has on everyone. I think our society and many of our personal decisions are driven by fear. This fear, deeply rooted in the population, is holding back the populist push that is needed to drive progress.
Fear stops people from right action. I am amazed that so many are fearful. People who "should" know better, people who have led eventful lives, who are spiritual practitioners, and who want to do what is right are fearful. Fear warps judgement and leads to misdirected or non actions. For those who are arming due to fear, my question is "What are you going to do with weapons?" Defending oneself involves bravery not fear. Certainly a defense built on non violence is preferable to one built on guns.
On some level I do understand fear. As a child and youth I was shy and fearful of public attention. However, in overcoming fear, I found that knowledge of and involvement in my subject or action lessened my nervousness. When I became involved in a action not in myself or people's perceptions of me, my fear lessened. I can now perform and speak publicly without undue fear.
Beside an involvement with self I know fear can be driven by old demons. People who were abused as children have a harder time overcoming fear then those who were not. The former have to work harder to have a secure concept of self based on a sense of inner control. For many all decisions or actions are scary. Neither the inside or outside are to be trusted. This fear and lack of trust has continued impact on peoples' behavior in the personal and political sphere.
Along with fear, I think many are experiencing hopelessness. A lack of hope make all action seem ridiculous. Their reasoning is why take action when nothing is going to matter. Being with out hope can be paralyzing, and certainly not conducive to creating positive change.
At the same time that we are experiencing fear and lack of hope, there is also the arising need to engage in the world. The world is crying out for right engagement - engagement that is not selfish, motivated by greed and the wish for power. Although we are all human, and therefore all damaged to a greater or lesser extent, the need to overcome fear and hopelessness and to engage in the world is great. Without our engagement the degradation we see will continue. With our engagement there is still hope for a better world. As Franklin Delano Roosevelt is credited with saying in his first inaugural address "There is nothing to fear but fear itself".
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