Earlier I stated that it was pretty interesting to me that Fear in Greek mythology is simply a personification and not really a being or deity. Fast forward to today. Is fear a presence that exists spiritually or is he simply a thought that we have inside of our own minds? So over the next few days, I want to address this question: Is fear internal or external?
Today, I will go with the external assumption. Let’s assume that fear is a rational thinking entity that has an agenda. That fear exists in a spiritual form that invisibly interacts with men and women in a physical environment. I think it is very interesting that for now thousands of years, fear has duped people into believing that this may not be the case. Zeus, Aphrodite, etc., were all gods with stories and statues. However, Fear is the unwanted black sheep cousin that no one wants to talk about at family reunions. Why is this?
I quote Keyser Söze from the Usual Suspects:
“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist”
If fear is truly an external being, then our ignorance of fear and how it operates can make us completely incapable of overcoming it. If fear really is a thinking being, then it appears he has been flying in stealth mode for a long-ass time. Even the Greeks questioned this or had not really ruled on it. Kind of like Bill Clinton’s military policies back in the 90’s. Remember Don’t ask don’t tell? This was really the equivalent to kicking the can down the street. Pretty good political move, but it really failed to address the issue. Really lazy leadership, but great if you want to remain middle of the road and let your successors deal with the issue later on.
Perhaps fear would say Don’t act don’t care. Don’t talk about me and I am happy to lay low behind the scenes. The less you know about me the better. In the coming days we will address the other school of thought, my personal opinion and the strategies for dealing with Fear, Phear or Phobos. For more on learning how to Jump Afraid, keep visiting the blog and look for the upcoming book by Tim Nichols.