Good morning America. As we head into the New Year, it’s a time to reflect on how far we’ve come. Today we live in a state of perpetual fear porn. In ‘61 I was born, I grew up in a turbulent time of change and fear even then. We had the Iron curtain and the Cold War. Fear about nuclear annihilation. Fear about acid rain. Fear about overpopulation. Fear about inflation. Fear about endless war in Asia and the Middle East. The only thing we didn’t seem to fear was fear itself. And it was nothing new then. And today there remains nothing new under the sun.
Truth is people who are afraid of suffering suffer from fear itself. At the same time courage is facing your fears. Stupidity is fearing nothing. On a personal level it’s all about how fear is cultivated in your life. As Cain said in the TV series Kung Fu—If you plant rice, rice will grow. If you plant fear, fear will grow.
The best thing we can do is to not run from the fear, but learn from it. Learning is the only thing the mind will never fear, regret, or exhaust. Fear is that place where we all talk to ourselves a little like lunatics. It’s that place where we all discover we are ultimately alone but for the relationships we cultivate. When the loneliness is overwhelming we need to tell our heart and mind that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. Conquer your fear by facing it. Fear follows the way of the monkey. The monkey plays the fool. While he distracts you with his antics, he bites you from behind. Unmask him and expose a coward disguised as a monkey. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.
Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in and puts his confidence in the LORD will be exalted and safe.
God be with you and keep you safe.