Man thrives on fear. Fear drives a man to do things which he wouldn’t otherwise do. Fear is the key to motivation and performance too. Fear of failure is the root cause of striving hard for success. The one who can put fear in the minds of people rules over them.
When you have a tiny baby at home and it get sick, you put your child’s life in the hands of the pediatrician and follow every instructions. He asks you to admit the child and without second thought you do that. The fear of loosing the child because of negligence is very great. So is the responsibility of the parents.
Now think about the person who knows about your clandestine affairs, how much of hold does he have over you. He could ruin or disgrace you and being afraid of him you do whatever he wants you to do.
In many movies you see the hero is guarding a state secret data in the hard drive or disc, that the enemies are after it. The state could be compromised or destroyed if the data falls into wrong hands. Everyone is full of fear. Even the one who is watching the movie is tense, hoping that the hero wins and the villain never gets hold of the secret.
The fear of God doesn’t allow many people to perform certain sinful acts. Drugs, gambling, sex or drinks are full of fear and terror. The ones who can handle these trades are holding the ones addicted to it at ransom. Money flows into their coffers only by means of fear.
Dictators rule countries by holding the card of fear over the state. They run governments which control every facet of daily life with the iron hand of fear. From rations to restricted public luxury goods supply, moderated education to forced military service, PDA to fear of government action for LGBT’s, same sex marriages to unnatural sex, banned goods or books to disruptive propaganda! All these are strictly monitored and controlled. Law is enforced on those who do not conform to the ways of life dictated by these fearful folks. The threat of death or jail, torture or banishment is the Damocles’ sword on top of their heads.
Everyone is afraid of something or the other. Some fear death, some family, some relatives and some fear educational institutions. Some fear money excess or shortages. Some fear diseases or hospitalization. Some fear their fall from grace or prestige. Some are afraid of society or the law. Some are afraid of certain phobias or loosing job. Some fear loosing life or loosing happiness. So every individual is afraid. Tell me one person who isn’t fearful of something or someone.
I can point you to a sage. He is not afraid of anything at all. He doesn’t fear death since he is not the body. He doesn’t fear disgrace since he doesn’t conform to worldly rules and regulations. He doesn’t fear relationships, since the only one that he has is with God alone. He doesn’t love anyone so cannot be blackmailed into some relationship. He doesn’t fear man or God too since He and God are one and the same. He doesn’t hoard money, nor is bothered about loosing anything since he doesn’t own anything or anyone.
The opposite of fear or fearlessness, you will say. But how to become fearless you may ask? You can be fearless if you are free. If you are bound by attachments or desires then you can never feel free. Attachments of any kind from personal, professional, state, country, religion or caste can stifle your freedom.
So overcome fear by becoming free. The three D’s of freedom are dispassion, detachment and discrimination. Become dispassionate and don’t get attached to anything or anyone. Know that only God is real and everything else is illusory or unreal, that’s discrimination. Follow these three are be free! Have no fear when God is cradling you in His arms.
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