Fear
I have learned to welcome fear in when it knocks on my brain. The fear which comes obviously to mind is a benign fellow. Its intent is to awaken my mind to some real peril or some real insecurity, which needs some tending to. Conscious fear is my friend.
The fear I truly fear and sniff out with great vigilance is unconscious fear, which lurks under the front porch of my brain and has to be teased out with the stick of meditation and serious reflection, sometimes aided by good counsel. This fear triggers defense mechanisms that interfere with my relationships and my overall health. This fear triggers anxiety when defense mechanism are no longer effective. If the fear goes unrecognized, or unconscious defenses against it are ineffective, anxiety develops. Anxiety tears at muscles. It corrodes the GI tract. It fuels cancer. Unaddressed anxiety can spiral into depression and psychosis in the most functional minds.
The root of animal fear is fear of injury and death. Since we are animals, we have this instinctual fear. It scares us away from playing in traffic, so to speak. But, our frontal lobe, while very helpful at recognizing and processing instinctual fear, can also trigger instinctual fear for no concrete, external reason. The frontal lobe can be a trickster, as well as a judge. So, doesn't it make sense to get to know your own frontal lobe, so you can discern when it is being a trickster and when it is being a sound judge?
Getting acquainted with your own brain is not all fun and games. There's a certain amount of distasteful sausage-making involved. It requires looking boldly and honestly at yourself in the harsh light of day. As someone who is revolted by photographs of myself in some cases, I will share that I have experienced similar revulsion when I have pulled the cover off some of my own mental processes in an attempt to know my own mind. It isn't always pretty work. It entails loss, sadness and anger. It can also liberate and produce deep joy.
Being a practicing, conscious humanist requires a certain grounding in your own humanity, in my opinion. Being human is to be conscious of how much of our thoughts and intentions are rooted in instinctual as well as intellectual responses to our environment. Integrating who we are with who we wish to become in our daily moments often requires waking to our real fears and needs for safety. Uncovering fear and learning to disregard it when it is outdated or irrelevant propels a greater openness in every moment. Uncovering fear and learning to address it consciously through creative and healthy behaviors fortifies and expands the mind for personal growth. All of this is part of what I call my humanist practice.
The fear I truly fear and sniff out with great vigilance is unconscious fear, which lurks under the front porch of my brain and has to be teased out with the stick of meditation and serious reflection, sometimes aided by good counsel. This fear triggers defense mechanisms that interfere with my relationships and my overall health. This fear triggers anxiety when defense mechanism are no longer effective. If the fear goes unrecognized, or unconscious defenses against it are ineffective, anxiety develops. Anxiety tears at muscles. It corrodes the GI tract. It fuels cancer. Unaddressed anxiety can spiral into depression and psychosis in the most functional minds.The root of animal fear is fear of injury and death. Since we are animals, we have this instinctual fear. It scares us away from playing in traffic, so to speak. But, our frontal lobe, while very helpful at recognizing and processing instinctual fear, can also trigger instinctual fear for no concrete, external reason. The frontal lobe can be a trickster, as well as a judge. So, doesn't it make sense to get to know your own frontal lobe, so you can discern when it is being a trickster and when it is being a sound judge?
Getting acquainted with your own brain is not all fun and games. There's a certain amount of distasteful sausage-making involved. It requires looking boldly and honestly at yourself in the harsh light of day. As someone who is revolted by photographs of myself in some cases, I will share that I have experienced similar revulsion when I have pulled the cover off some of my own mental processes in an attempt to know my own mind. It isn't always pretty work. It entails loss, sadness and anger. It can also liberate and produce deep joy.
Being a practicing, conscious humanist requires a certain grounding in your own humanity, in my opinion. Being human is to be conscious of how much of our thoughts and intentions are rooted in instinctual as well as intellectual responses to our environment. Integrating who we are with who we wish to become in our daily moments often requires waking to our real fears and needs for safety. Uncovering fear and learning to disregard it when it is outdated or irrelevant propels a greater openness in every moment. Uncovering fear and learning to address it consciously through creative and healthy behaviors fortifies and expands the mind for personal growth. All of this is part of what I call my humanist practice.
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