Trust is a decision
“Fear is contagious. Our brains and emotions are shaped by the cultural influences we’re exposed to every day: the pressure to perform and the constant comparisons in schools; the need to hold down a paying job; the constant flood of alarming news from around the world; encounters with family members, friends, and strangers who are struggling with their own difficult life circumstances. Staying calm in a society full of anxious people is like walking up a down escalator.”
Martha Beck from her book “Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life’s Purpose”.
Our fear is as contagious as a virus; it spreads to everyone we encounter (unless they are a completely at-peace person who is constantly working on maintaining that peace). Through the fear we pass on, the field of fear in our environment intensifies, which in turn increases the pressure on us. We then pass on this intensified fear once again. But that is our responsibility.
I see this as a major root cause of our problems today. Disputes, hostility, and wars are the most obvious results of this. The fear of not having enough or of losing what we have makes us afraid of immigrants. The fear of not being enough constantly forces us to prove that we are, whether by buying nice clothes or cars or by artificially elevating ourselves above others. The fear of being overlooked or of being unimportant, or even powerless, drives us to become politicians, pop stars, elite athletes, or actors. The fear of the future, of the unknown, turns us into manipulators and controllers who restrict others and ourselves until there’s no room left to breathe deeply.
None of us is immune to this; it would require a life lived in total trust - trust, which is the opposite of fear. Trust in humanity, trust in nature, trust in ourselves. That would change the world. And in fact, it’s not true that trust has to be earned; trust is a choice we can make, anew every day.
If each of us learns to deal with our own fear and has learned to calm ourselves, we will make a significant contribution to peace on our planet. I think that would be the true peace movement and the environmental protection we need today. Let’s try not to pass on our fear and to approach others with trust, thereby fulfilling our responsibility to ourselves and to others.
My personal tipps from my journey toward a life with less overwhelming fear:
❋ Stop drinking coffee
❋ Learn and practice daily techniques to calm the nervous system
❋ Read books (e.g. by Martha Beck, the book is really fantastic)
❋ Creativity (cannot coexist with fear)
❋ No cell phone before bed; instead, read a book that doesn’t agitate you
❋ No constant exposure to podcasts or audiobooks
❋ Read the news only rarely
What are your tipps for less fear? Curious to hear!
