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LightHearted Musings - The Only Thing to Fear is Fear Itself
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on September 29th, 2008
The only thing to fear is fear itself.
–Franklin Delano Roosevelt
This is a quote that has been roiling around in my head ever since the recent financial crisis started. Maybe it’s because of our politicians’ continual references to the Great Depression. Maybe it’s because it is one of those lines that I would really like to be true but know is not for many people. Homelessness, unemployment, poverty, ill health, death, even fear of lost dreams or missed opportunities are top on people’s minds at the moment, and for some, these are very real possibilities in their lives. For others, this has become their present reality. There is a lot more than fear to fear right now.
So what do we do with this statement, that the only thing to fear is fear itself? Do we scrap it or do we try to pull out those parts that resonate, those parts that have made this such an enduring phrase? I’d like to take a stab at the latter.
The first thing to comment on is how simply inefficient fear is since it doesn’t fix the problem or even avoid it. If it could help you to be proactive and move forward toward your goals, then that’s one thing, but more often, fear paralyzes. It’s like the deer in the headlights that waits for the car to come and run it over. One of my favorite quotes from my own dark days after a broken neck was coincidentally from Roosevelt’s compatriot, Winston Churchill, ”If you are going through hell, keep going!” That is hard to do when fear is cementing your feet to the floor, cutting off your options for escape simply by narrowing your focus and wallowing you in despair.
Dr. Bruce and I regularly teach people a simple technique for loosening that cement. First, close your eyes and take a few good, deep breaths. Then, think about a time in your life when you felt completely loved, completely happy, when all was right with the world, even if the feeling was just a moment in time. Imagine yourself back in that moment and let yourself bask in that feeling for a bit, holding your hand to your heart while you do so. Now, with that image still in your mind’s eye, bring into your heart the problem you are currently dealing with, be it a situation, a person - whatever it might be. Allow both the problem and the love to sit side by side in your heart and then ask your heart if there is any other way to handle the situation or person that you are dealing with. Your heart will give you the answers that you are seeking, and you may be surprised by the great wisdom that comes from within you. Your heart has been patiently waiting for you to seek its guidance - tap in and see what it has to say to you.
One of the advantages of staying in your heart during troubled times is that it gives you access to your own wisdom. It opens up the box of possible solutions and leaves you free to be creative and innovative. It helps you to find your balance, to think quickly and clearly, and to find solutions that are in integrity with your highest values, all of which cannot happen when you are coming from a place of fear.
Acting from fear often brings with it a backlash of recriminations and anger because it stems from a feeling of disempowerment. People do desperate things when they are drowning, even to the point of pulling down and drowning the one person who had come to rescue them. Some in our society have used fear-mongering for their own purposes, as a method of controlling our thoughts and actions. As a country, fear has gotten us into wars, it has put us into financial peril, it has divided our nation, and it has created many more enemies for us to fear around the world. We are now paying dearly for this - the fear has fed on itself and multiplied.
On the other hand, acting from a place of love is inherently a statement of empowerment. Love creates win-win situations and actions that you can feel good about later. It creates alliances, friendships, cooperation, healing, and yes, even opportunities. Love feeds on itself and multiplies as well.
I have sometimes been accused of being too optimistic, of always looking on the bright side of things, but it is important to comment on that assumption. I have had more than my fair share of troubles and challenges in life, and I know full well what loss feels like. I do see what’s going on out there right now. We have financial turmoil, war, anger, and greed. I know the challenges that are coming up for me and my family in the next few years, and I know that other people I care about will be affected as well. My choice of love over fear is not a case of my sticking my head in the sand.
Instead, I see it as the most pragmatic and efficient reaction to the situation that I can have, much more useful and powerful than fear could ever be. I simply don’t have the time for fear. There is too much work to be done if we are to find solutions out of this mess. In this time of limited resources, I can’t afford to waste my limited energy on something that won’t yield positive results. We as a community hold the solutions to our problems in our collective heart, and what we most need right now is to take a moment, tap in and ask love to impart its wisdom. Maybe the line ought to read, “The only thing that works is love itself.”
Dr.Molly
Dr. Molly,
Well said! Thank you for your courage and willingness to spread the “good news” in the midst of a crisis. Indeed, the limitations of our “head” consciousness have lead directly to the current fears and negative circumstances just as surely as the solutions lie within our heart, the expanded intelligence of our Soul. You are a true wayshower. Blessings, geoff byrd
Comment by geoff byrd — September 29, 2008 @ 7:59 am
Hi Dr. Molly,
This is a great article and much needed. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I totally agree with you. I have been working on integrating my fear for the past several years and it’s so much better coming from a place of love and positive thoughts and actions.
Thank you!
many blessings,
Gina
Comment by Gina Rafkind — September 29, 2008 @ 1:15 pm
Yes, I agree with Geoff, that was very well put! I too suffered a fractured neck as well as a near fatal head injury, and it was my optimism, (or maybe it was denial), that got me through! Especially when everyone around me was waiting for me to die… Oh yes, there was a lot of fear, and the fear was my greatest obstacle, but once I overcame that, a whole new life opened up to me!
Thank you for your words of wisdom!
Karrie B.
Comment by Karrie J. Butler — September 29, 2008 @ 3:39 pm
Beautifully said….thank you.
Working with cancer patients to BE survivors, I see fear cripples.
If we can move into love, anything is possible.
Even healing large tumors.
Thank you for the example.
Comment by Sheila — October 2, 2008 @ 11:12 am