Fear, Doubt, and Pessimism - Life 101 Lecture

Let's start out with some definitions so that we know what we are talking about.

Fear: a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, doom; the feeling or condition of being afraid
Doubt: a state of uncertainty or suspense
Pessimism: the tendency to see, anticipate, or emphasize only bad or undesirable outcomes, results, conditions, problems.

In my experience it is often explained to me that the reason that people hold themselves back is due to their own fear. It is never easy to make a leap when we have no idea where we might fall. So we are burdened with these unbelievably progressive ideas of how to change the systems in order to make living easier for all of us, because we are worried we might be unwell received. This is natural. To keep safe and alive we were born with an inherent ability to question the harm or benefit of anything we come in contact with. We use this ability to judge what is best for us. Don't eat the red seemingly bursting... is it a fruit? Don't take that lumpy, jumpy marsh creature and rub it on your face. Don't try to lift the fallen down tree which is seven times your size. Those are all brilliant judgments. But we are putting the reality of our instincts into a box of possibilities and creating quantitative and qualitative unknowns. So we are torn. If we kiss the frog he might become a prince, but if we kiss the frog he might give us warts. And our natural instincts are saying loud and clear, stay away from the frog. SO what do you do?

The BraIn is running a million miles a minuted trying to decipher all the meaning, all the possibility, all the reality of everything that happens all around us all the time. PHEW no wonder we're all so tired. But that is what the mind does, it takes in all information it can to create the best decisions for the things we come in contact with. So when your head is second guessing itself and your mind tells you "YES" or "NO" then you need to follow that direction. But there seems to be a problem. While you are busy trying to make sense of everything, that little voice of reason is being drowned out in the sound of ideas loudly bounding around your consciousness until it finds the place it belongs. Since we are unable to listen to that little voice inside that guides us to the right place, we become creatures of fear. We no longer find that one thing that said to us "turn here, go straight ahead, you'll find what you're looking for at the next right." the longer we look for that self assurance and can no longer find it, we become less optimistic. So now we are striking two out of three, and Joy is left to carry the whole alone. Sure it works for a while, but the burden of a life resting on one emotion which needs to be unbound, just doesn't work. So you might start off feeling superb, and soon find that good vibe just dissipates into frustration.

Hope becomes Doubt, Optimism becomes Pessimism, and Joy becomes Fear. What follows next is sadness, gloom and dejection. This is what makes up Depression. While operating slow moving, uninterested vehicles, our inspiration wanes. We have no drive to look forward to anything. We begin to sluggishly trod along, each step forward, heavy and hard. We are surrounded by noise, and we can't find anything to help us out. We don't even know what is going on.

When the days come when we don't find any inspiration, can't hear any direction, it is time for us to take some time out and stop thinking, and start listening. And not to the world around us, but to the voice inside of us. Meditate, Take a long shower or bath, read if it works for you, recede into yourself, find yourself, listen to yourself.

If you find yourself still bound and stressed, take some time for yourself in which you have the chance to work out the following scenario in your head.

Meditation:

Close you eyes.

Take a deep breath.

Imagine you are in a small room. You are tied to a chair, the rope is binding your arms behind you. In your vision you see in front of Fear embodied. He is pointing a gun to your head. Take another deep breath. Cowering behind you is Doubt, whimpering that there is no hope. Look around the room to see what else is there to be seen. Is there something there that can diffuse the situation? As you scan the situation, you see pessimism, outside, looking in at you from the window, shaking his head in complete loss. So you are held at gunpoint, with two others who are completely unable to assist you. Not even that, but they are trying to tell you there is no hope.

Take a deep breath.

Wouldn't it be nice if he didn't have ammo in his gun? decide that he doesn't. Watch as he pulls the trigger, do not fear. He is flabbergasted to find his weapon doesn't work. Take this opportunity to give fear a swift kick, in the stomach or in between the thighs (in here it's not dirty tactics to get him down however you need to). Now it's time to take command. Doubt might be scared, but she wants to get out of there alive. Tell her sternly to remove your ties. If you have to yell to get her moving do so. As soon as you can move freely, get up, take her hand and lead her out. Once outside give pessimism one good hard smack. Fear will be creeping back up and you need to get optimism as quickly as possible. Once he is shaken present him with his darling bride hope.

Take a deep breath.

Remember that pessimism is at the other end of the spectrum as Optimism. Hope rides the other end of the scale from doubt. They are not meant to be eradicated, just given the reason to flourish.

Face the oncoming fear. open up your arms. Welcome the beast. Let him see optimism and hope in a loving embrace. Offer him the same. Watch him fall forward, Let him crash into your arms. you are strong enough to hold him. He will transform in your arms, and see him as the scared, crying child he was trying to hide. Hold him close, kiss his forehead, silence his fears. When he has spent all of his emotions, he will need to be put to bed. Carry him home and tuck him in. Thank optimism and hope for always helping you in your time of need, and promise to drop in to see the three of them more often. Resolved to let them come see you too when their whims suit them. Shutting them out only creates the negative mindset that will hold you back.