Of Fear And Growth And Openness

9th February, 2012

Life hands us packages, always surprises that are not exactly as they seem, or as we expect. It gives us something delightful that we later realise was a harbinger of pain. It shows us a mesmerising path which leads us into ditches of sorrow. It toys with our minds, our emotions, sometimes making us soar its beautiful, blue skies, and sometimes chaining us down with its steely ropes. And soon before we know it, we have covered ourselves with a cloak of fear. We hide within this cloak, afraid to try anything new, afraid to take any chances, afraid to walk any further on the path. Then we shut our eyes to all of life’s beauty and refuse to look at life except through our sullied cloak.

Fear is a wonderful defence that helps protect and promote the survival of every animal, including man. It outlines for us humans, areas of both the real and the abstract world which may cause us either physical or psychological harm. It leads us away from what could result in pain or sorrow. But what fear makes us often forget is that life’s surprises are not always painful. The packages are always bitter-sweet, two-sided coins which can be viewed differently based on one’s perspective. And so, as we sit, comfortably-sluggish, in our carefully moulded fear-cloaked environments, we don’t realise that the real vehicle of spiritual growth has long passed us by.

To a wise man who sees and understands this, fear then becomes a harbinger of opportunity, of growth. Pain then transcends into something that is comfortable and eventually helpful. Such a person then sees that growth involves pain, and pain leads to growth. He is willing to step out of that which seems comfortable, to try and find that which might lead to the development of his spirit.

No human can voluntarily accept pain. To fight against that which poses potential harm is an innate and natural response of the human spirit. A victory or defeat against the situation that one finds himself in, depends solely on the individual’s physical and mental strength. But in either case, once the fight is over, once the body and mind lie exhausted and weakened, the spirit can use this experience for new learnings of its own. It can try to sift through its emotional baggage to find the wisdom that lies beneath.

And once, an individual has internalized this process, of learning to find meaning in that which seems painful, his fear automatically dissipates. His mind grows open to experiences good and bad, pleasurable and painful. His mind swells open to explore the depths of these circumstances and find meaning in them; meaning that will help fill his soul and clarify his mind.

An intricate relationship this, between fear and growth and openness; where one feeds off the other, and where the latter cannot come to exist without the former. And when a person can understand and live this, when his spirit becomes truly open, life’s surprises don’t surprise him anymore. He becomes willing to accept them all equally and non-judgementally, and nurture them till they lead him to the place where all is clear.