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How to Overcome Fear

Before we get started, we should first define fear. According to our good friend Webster, fear is “an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger”.


If we were to dissect this definition a little, we realize that there are two parts. The first is the “anticipation or awareness of danger”, and the second is the reaction to that perception with a “strong emotion”. This is important because I believe that the reaction is dependent upon the perception. This also gives us a possible lever of control.
If we control our perception, than we can control our fear. Basically, we are only afraid of dangers that we know about. If this is true, then we could purposefully redefine what we consider as dangerous. In today’s world we are not normally chased by lions and tigers, but our fears of failure and loss trigger the same emotion.


So, if we want to control our lives and make choices (the key to being Human) then we need a way to control our mind to minimize the fear reaction.


This is how I have chosen to do it. I first realize that in the blink of the universe, I am not that special. I then think of all the things in the world that I care about. Like the balloon man holding a bunch of floating colored balloons by thin threads. I then realize that I have no control over any of those things, and I let the balloons go. That is right, I free myself from all attachment. For instance: I have hope that my children will prosper and live a good life. But….it is still their life to live. The best I can hope for is to be by their side if they need something. I do not control them or the way the ‘choose’ to live. And I no longer get upset if they don’t follow my ‘plan’. Because in the end, we are all walking our own path.

I choose to live a life free from attachment and the social anxieties the modern world has to offer. I focus only on what I can control, and this certainty provides me an unyielding sense of peace.   


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