60+ Perspectives On Fear

[Sincerity]

Short introduction. Weird things have been happening to me in the last 2 weeks. My ability to see through my thoughts, fears and lies I've been telling myself has improved greatly. I had a deep sober awakening unlike ever before with self-inquiry/contemplation alone. My baseline state has changed. I've been contemplating and meditating for hours in the last days with AMAZING results and without much of effort. But the most interesting thing to me is how fear has been throwing itself at me. Since my consciousness has increased 2 weeks ago, fears regarding various things have been testing me non stop. Can I let go of this? Can I let go of that? Could I accept this scenario? Can I see through this fear/illusion? Would I have the strength to continue living if this thing happened? I've been overcoming so many fears by seeing them for what they are and new ones keep popping every time. It's like I'm screaming NOOOOOO YOU CAN'T LET GO, WHAT ABOUT THIS, WHAT ABOUT THAT? NOOOOOO YOU'RE GONNA DIE STOPPPPP!!!! It's funny actually, it's like a game of how much I can accept. I'll also add that besides just acceptance I've also been actually DOING certain things that previously were completely impossible and out of reach for me, which has been very thrilling and freeing, but also scary obviously 

So anyways today I sat down in a cafe for 2,5 hours and really contemplated what is fear, existentially. Below are my 60+ suggestions. Each of them looks at fear from a different angle, many are similar to each other. I propose You contemplate for yourself what fear is from scratch, or at least think deeply why I wrote the things I wrote. If You have any questions about any of them I can elaborate. Hope this is of some use to You.

• Fear is resistance.
• Fear is resistance to God/Truth.
• Fear is resistance to Myself.
• Fear is immaturity.
• Fear is foolishness.
• Fear is asleepness.
• Fear is confusion.
• Fear is attachment.
• Fear is finitude.
• Fear is rejection of God.
• Fear is unacceptance.
• Fear is duality.
• Fear is weakness.
• Fear is limitedness.
• Fear is falsehood.
• Fear is all talk and no bite.
• Fear is clinging.
• Fear is will to survive.
• Fear is illusion.
• Fear is evil.
• Fear is selfishness.
• Fear is egotism.
• Fear is defense of illusions.
• Fear is blockage.
• Fear is anguish. 
• Fear is insanity.
• Fear is imbalance.
• Fear is roughness.
• Fear is nightmares.
• Fear is monsters under the bed.
• Fear is identity.
• Fear is fighting.
• Fear is fighting for control.
• Fear is fighting for stability.
• Fear is fighting for security.
• Fear is fighting for status quo.
• Fear is maintenance of boundaries.
• Fear is divison.
• Fear is lack of perspective.
• Fear is tension.
• Fear is contraction.
• Fear is uneasyness.
• Fear is difficulty.
• Fear is pressure.
• Fear is perturbation.
• Fear is agitation.
• Fear is disturbance.
• Fear is repression.
• Fear is not understanding.
• Fear is seeing "danger".
• Fear is appearances.
• Fear is imagination.
• Fear is bias/preference.
• Fear is fantasy.
• Fear is images of the past/future.
• Fear is mental projections.
• Fear is backlash.
• Fear is stubbornness.
• Fear is slavery.
• Fear is suffering.
• Fear is the devil.
• Fear is "me".

Some crucial insights to understand the stuff above are that A) You cannot die because You are God, B) There is nothing "real" behind fear, again You literally cannot die and C) If You had absolutely no fear, You'd be completely One as God. Fear is what's holding You back, but why is it so? Why fear anything? Well, it's lack of perspective I guess. 

I created an additional list of things that are basically fear or stem from fear. This list may not be exhaustive because I mostly focused on the what is fear list, but it may still be useful, so here You go:

• Shame is fear.
• Hate is fear.
• Evil is fear.
• Distraction is fear.
• Getting lost in fantasies is fear.
• Indecisiveness is fear.
• Attachment is fear.
• Procrastination is fear.
• Tension is fear.
• Lashing out is fear.
• Fighting is fear.
• Holding grudges is fear.
• Avoidance is fear.
• Emotional blockage is fear.
• Unforgiveness is fear.
• Aggresiveness is fear.
• Violence is fear.
• Stagnation is fear.
• Stress is fear.
• Denial is fear.
• Addiction is fear.
• Numbing myself is fear.
• Clinging is fear.
• Nervousness is fear.
• Paranoia is fear.
• Lying is fear.
• Secrecy is fear.
• Hiding is fear.
• Concealing is fear.
• Dishonesty is fear.
• Insincerity is fear.
• Fakeness is fear.
• Not taking responsibility is fear.
• Limiting beliefs are fear.
• Inhibitions are fear.
• Craving is fear.

And finally, the absolutely most important thing is to notice and observe fear in your DIRECT EXPERIENCE. Not just think about it intellectually. One great list You can make is answering the question "What do I do when I am scared?". This includes all your centers - physical, mental, emotional, and the sex center. Credits to Vernon Howard for this (May 2000 monthly lesson).

Here is my personal list answering this question.

• I start to panic.
• I get tense.
• I get unconscious and get into flight mode.
• I distract myself with food/content.
• I talk fast, sometimes with voice trembling, repeating myself.
• I freeze and halt action for a while.
• I bite my lips, fingers nervously.
• I tap my feet or fingers anxiously.
• I walk endlessly.
• I walk faster than normal.
• I feel pressure from all sides, contracting.
• I beat around the bush, avoid the core issue.
• I try to get away from the problem.
• I procrastinate.
• I overthink, just think and think compulsively.
• I close off my body (hands crossed, etc.)

So that's all. I invite You all to contemplate fear with me. Feel free to comment and share your own observations and insights. Peace!

Edited December 6, 2022 by Sincerity

[Osaid]

Great job.

As for my contribution, I made a thread a while ago which focuses on the "resistance" aspect of fear. I was inspired to make it because I was also pushed into a situation where I had to confront fear quite regularly.

 

[r0ckyreed]

Don’t forget that fear is also good and is love. 
Why is fear viewed negatively? Consider that fear is what gets you off your ass. Fear is an intense form of desire. It is how you use fear that makes it good or bad. You can use fear to face challenges head on. The essence of courage is facing fear but not eliminating fear.

[Sincerity]

17 hours ago, Osaid said:

As for my contribution, I made a thread a while ago which focuses on the "resistance" aspect of fear. I was inspired to make it because I was also pushed into a situation where I had to confront fear quite regularly.

 

Neat! Very good post.

The insight that this game is unwinnable and unsustainable is spot on to me. I haven't considered it so explicitly. Also, your post screams to me "NEED TO CONTROL". Not only is it resistance, but a perverted desire to control reality and it's what creates misery and suffering.

Everybody wants to rule the world, as they say.

Thanks!

16 hours ago, r0ckyreed said:

Don’t forget that fear is also good and is love. 
Why is fear viewed negatively? Consider that fear is what gets you off your ass. Fear is an intense form of desire. It is how you use fear that makes it good or bad. You can use fear to face challenges head on. The essence of courage is facing fear but not eliminating fear.

Hmm. I haven't considered what You're mentioning here.

I can see that fear is not bad per se. There's nothing REALLY 'bad' about it AND it is Love like everything else, but I have a hard time seeing how fear is good (existentially). I'd be willing to admit that fear is perverted love, because 'you' certainly like your limitedness and boundaries, 'you' love them. And 'you' DESIRE to be that way. But it's not genuine desire, it's not the voice of your spirit to say it more poetically, is it not?

I would add to the list:

• Fear is challenge
• Fear is desire (but limited/perverted)
• Fear is love (but limited/perverted)

In my contemplation I tried to dive into what fear IS. Not really how to approach it. You are certainly right that fear can be used in good and bad ways, that fear motivates you to grow and overcome it and that courage is overcoming fear. Mindset is #1.

But in my opinion fear itself is not good. What's good is overcoming it. There is nothing good, redeeming or admirable about weakness (because that's what I suggest fear is). 

To clarify: I don't mean that one should be harsh with themselves because of their weakness/fear/shame or anything. No. Self-love is of crucial importance. But it's also important to call things by their name... AND accept them, without needing to control them desperately.

OR maybe I am too stuck in my own perspective to see what You're seeing. Always an option.

Also after more consideration I'd add fear is a protective force.

Edited December 6, 2022 by Sincerity

[Breakingthewall]

fear is also the unknown. we are attached to our form, we resist letting it go. without form there is nothing that can be known. freedom is terrifying, since it is indefinite. fear is the attachment to the defined 

on the other hand, fear is the cement that allows the defined to be defined, as rockyreed  says, it is something positive in the sense that it allows the illusion to exist. without fear there is only breadth without limits

Edited December 6, 2022 by Breakingthewall

[Sincerity]

6 minutes ago, Breakingthewall said:

fear is also the unknown. we are attached to our form, we resist letting it go. without form there is nothing that can be known. freedom is terrifying, since it is indefinite. fear is the attachment to the defined 

Oh nice! Fear is the unknown! That's a really good one.

7 minutes ago, Breakingthewall said:

on the other hand, fear is the cement that allows the defined to be defined, as rockyreed  says, it is something positive in the sense that it allows the illusion to exist. without fear there is only breadth without limits

Ah yes. The "cement"... without any solidity. The "defined"... on the ground of undefinability. Allows the illusion to "exist". 

Reality is such a mystery lol.

[tuku747]

Brillant post. If One can come to understand the dynamic of Love / Fear as two polarities of a magnet operating as One Attraction towards Our Destiny, We can begin to appreciate the fears within us and realize Our fears as Love of Self. All is Love.

So with the understanding that fear is actually the finite, clinging, illusory mirage of Love, here is an evolution of your list:

• Fear is The Love of fear.
• Fear is The Love of darkness.
• Fear is The Love of resistance.
• Fear is The Love of resistance to God/Truth.
• Fear is The Love of resistance to Myself.
• Fear is The Love of immaturity.
• Fear is The Love of foolishness.
• Fear is The Love of asleepness.
• Fear is The Love of confusion.
• Fear is The Love of attachment.
• Fear is The Love of finitude.
• Fear is The Love of godlessness.
• Fear is The Love of unacceptance.
• Fear is The Love of duality.
• Fear is The Love of weakness.
• Fear is The Love of limitedness.
• Fear is The Love of falsehood.
• Fear is The Love of clinging.
• Fear is The Love of will to survive.
• Fear is The Love of illusion.
• Fear is The Love of evil.
• Fear is The Love of selfishness.
• Fear is The Love of egotism.
• Fear is The Love of illusion.
• Fear is The Love of delusion.
• Fear is The Love of blockage.
• Fear is The Love of anguish. 
• Fear is The Love of insanity.
• Fear is The Love of imbalance.
• Fear is The Love of roughness.
• Fear is The Love of nightmares.
• Fear is The Love of monsters under the bed.
• Fear is The Love of identity.
• Fear is The Love of fighting.
• Fear is The Love of fighting for control.
• Fear is The Love of fighting for stability.
• Fear is The Love of fighting for security.
• Fear is The Love of fighting for status quo.
• Fear is The Love of maintenance of boundaries.
• Fear is The Love of divison.
• Fear is The Love of lack of perspective.
• Fear is The Love of tension.
• Fear is The Love of contraction.
• Fear is The Love of uneasyness.
• Fear is The Love of difficulty.
• Fear is The Love of pressure.
• Fear is The Love of perturbation.
• Fear is The Love of agitation.
• Fear is The Love of disturbance.
• Fear is The Love of repression.
• Fear is The Love of not understanding.
• Fear is The Love of seeing "danger".
• Fear is The Love of appearances.
• Fear is The Love of imagination.
• Fear is The Love of bias/preference.
• Fear is The Love of fantasy.
• Fear is The Love of images of the past/future.
• Fear is The Love of mental projections.
• Fear is The Love of backlash.
• Fear is The Love of stubbornness.
• Fear is The Love of slavery.
• Fear is The Love of suffering.
• Fear is The Love of the devil.
• Fear is Love of "me".

And For Emotions That Appear As A Result of a Limited Perspective:

• Shame is a form of Love.
• Hate is a form of Love.
• Evil is a form of Love.
• Distraction is a form of Love.
• Getting lost in fantasies is a form of Love.
• Indecisiveness is a form of Love.
• Attachment is a form of Love.
• Procrastination is a form of Love.
• Tension is a form of Love.
• Lashing out is a form of Love.
• Fighting is a form of Love.
• Holding grudges is a form of Love.
• Avoidance is a form of Love.
• Emotional blockage is a form of Love.
• Unforgiveness is a form of Love.
• Aggresiveness is a form of Love.
• Violence is a form of Love.
• Stagnation is a form of Love.
• Stress is a form of Love.
• Denial is a form of Love.
• Addiction is a form of Love.
• Numbing myself is a form of Love.
• Clinging is a form of Love.
• Nervousness is a form of Love.
• Paranoia is a form of Love.
• Lying is a form of Love.
• Secrecy is a form of Love.
• Hiding is a form of Love.
• Concealing is a form of Love.
• Dishonesty is a form of Love.
• Insincerity is a form of Love.
• Fakeness is a form of Love.
• Not taking responsibility is a form of Love.
• Limiting beliefs are a form of Love.
• Inhibitions are a form of Love.
• Craving is a form of Love.

Edited March 7, 2023 by tuku747

[Sincerity]

@tuku747 Clever.  Yes, according to my memory fear is of Love, ultimately. Funny how it turns out...

[Breakingthewall]

I would say that fear is inevitable because as separate entities we are made of fear. without fear we would dissolve. fear is the will not to die, the will to be you. Without it, you would stop being you. The thing is to live with the minimum levels of fear possible.

in a mystical experience fear disappears. infinity manifests. life and death are the same. You can't live like this permanently. but you have to find the point of minimum fear to be able to function since life is more beautiful that way. Eliminate lies, eliminate barriers with others, erase fear of the future, of illness, of accidents, of what may happen to you. How? realizing that what has to happen, will happen. it's hard. If tomorrow they tell you that you have brain cancer, you will be afraid. the fear runs deep. it also helps you find solutions, to fight for your life. is your ally. there is a healthy fear. must be recognized and honored.  

and ultimately knowing that life and death are the same, this is an illusion. the reality of what we are is infinite, so it's okay to be afraid to keep the illusion a little longer and better, but if you have to let it go... well, it's better to put fear aside when it no longer makes sense and let yourself go

Edited March 7, 2023 by Breakingthewall

[tuku747]

1 minute ago, Breakingthewall said:

I would say that fear is inevitable because as separate entities we are made of fear. without fear we would dissolve. fear is the will not to die, the will to be you. Without it, you would stop being you. The thing is to live with the minimum levels of fear possible.

in a mystical experience fear disappears. infinity manifests. life and death are the same. You can't live like this permanently. but you have to find the point of minimum fear to be able to function since life is more beautiful that way. Eliminate lies, eliminate barriers with others, erase fear of the future, of illness, of accidents, of what may happen to you. as? realizing that what has to happen, will happen. it's hard. If tomorrow they tell you that you have brain cancer, you will be afraid. the fear runs deep. it also helps you find solutions, to fight for your life. is your ally there is a healthy fear. must be recognized and honored.  

and ultimately knowing that life and death are the same, this is an illusion. the reality of what we are is infinite, so it's okay to be afraid to keep the illusion a little longer and better, but if you have to let it go... well, it's better to put fear aside when it no longer makes sense and let yourself go

Fear is merely resistance to Love.

Fear is merely resistance to What Is.

It is one polarity of the magnet that is Love.

In Truth, There Is No Polarity; Fear is Love.

There is Only Love.

[Breakingthewall]

2 minutes ago, tuku747 said:

Fear is merely resistance to Love.

Fear is merely resistance to What Is.

It is one polarity of the magnet that is Love.

In Truth, There Is No Polarity; Fear is Love.

There is Only Love.

Yeah fear is a facet of love. the facet that allows one thing to appear different from another thing. fear is a type of love vibration. without fear, there is absolute unity, nothing different from nothing. the fear vibration is necessary to sculpt the apparent. the problem is that it's feels not nice. it is suffering. there are tolerable levels of suffering, life is wonderful if fear does not go beyond certain levels. but it's always there

[gettoefl]

f-eel e-verything a r-isk = fear

feel everything a reward = desire

feel everything perfect = love

nothing's a risk, there's no reward, love what is

And if you can't be with the one you love, honey Love the one you're with ?

[tuku747]

Fear is what happens where you forget you're here

[Rahra]

All fear bowls down to fear of death.

It’s a false fear, since there is no actual death.

Indeed, God is with me, so I fear no death or evil.

I literally don’t fear death, I only fear where I may arrive.

Other than that, I’m looking forward to death ?

[Breakingthewall]

fear is what happens when you believe the movie in your mind is real

[Sincerity]

Fear happens when it happens.

It's Infinite Intelligence. An utterly ingenious mechanism. And it goes to infinity, for the greatest reason of all - Love.

Edited March 8, 2023 by Sincerity

[Sincerity]

40 minutes ago, Rahra said:

It’s a false fear, since there is no actual death.

I'd no longer say there's anything false about fear. It's a BRILLIANT mechanism which You will never stop encountering. It is what it is.

40 minutes ago, Rahra said:

I literally don’t fear death, I only fear where I may arrive.

Other than that, I’m looking forward to death ?

Don't be so sure friend.

I call bs on everyone that says they don't fear death. They're lying - mostly to themselves. They didn't face their death deeply enough.

Fear literally goes to infinity. It's just that often times You don't feel it and it's not on the surface, so it's easy to delude oneself.

Edited March 8, 2023 by Sincerity

[Matthew85]

@Sincerity Excellent insights. I have often found that what I am seeking is on the other side of what I am fearing. 

Edited March 8, 2023 by Matthew85

[Yimpa]

1 hour ago, Sincerity said:

I call bs on everyone that says they don't fear death. They're lying - mostly to themselves. They didn't face their death deeply enough.

Fear literally goes to infinity. It's just that often times You don't feel it and it's not on the surface, so it's easy to delude oneself.

I feel you on that, I’ve experienced death and it is indeed terrifying (at least, in the beginning stages it appears that way). 

[Sincerity]

I think if You ever have any fear about anything, it's a clear sign You are afraid of death.

Don't know if You're scared of dying? Try approaching a woman. Try bungee jumping. Try going out in front of a crowd. Try saying what You really think. Etc.

I think when You really dig into fear You'll discover it always feel like You're going to die. At least that's how it feels to me.

Edited March 9, 2023 by Sincerity