{"id":875,"date":"2015-12-01T23:09:47","date_gmt":"2015-12-02T04:09:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.joshuastairhime.com\/?p=875"},"modified":"2018-12-04T22:56:04","modified_gmt":"2018-12-05T03:56:04","slug":"fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.joshuastairhime.com\/index.php\/fear\/","title":{"rendered":"Fear (DOP #1 2015)"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is December, and I have again undertaken the challenge of focusing on Peace, and writing something about it each day during the Christmas season. \u00a0For the next 25 days I’ll do everything in my power to post a daily reflection of my thoughts. \u00a0Perhaps more importantly however, 5 other fabulous people are joining me in my quest! \u00a0You won’t find their posts on my site, so head on over to Facebook and like the 25 days for Peace<\/a> page (we are considering a website to collect the posts with\u00a0as well…more on that later). \u00a0While you are here, I wanted to say thanks for stopping by, and I really do appreciate you taking the time to read (and maybe even subscribe to) my thoughts. \u00a0I’d love to hear what you are thinking as well, so leave a comment below and I’ll get it approved as soon as I can! Merry Christmas, and I hope you find peace in this season. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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I keep reading posts on Facebook that say things like “all Muslims are bad” or “all refugees are terrorists”. \u00a0I have seen people post similar statements about Democrats and Republicans, those who are Pro-Life and those who are Pro-Choice, and even about police officers and other public servants. \u00a0Everyone seems to have a group of people they don’t like, or that they feel can’t be trusted. \u00a0Everyone has someone they fear.<\/p>\n

I used to be afraid of loud noises, like fireworks or airplanes flying by at airshows. \u00a0The loud noises filled me with fear.<\/p>\n

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In skimming the Wikipedia article about fear, I notice that there are lots of little sub-categories and niches that fear falls into. \u00a0There are irrational fears, learned fears, taught fears, and phobias, to name just a few. \u00a0The article discusses them in depth (far deeper than I chose to go) and mentions possible causes for each. \u00a0When you ask google the definition of fear, it describes fear\u00a0as “an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.<\/p>\n

Wikipedia points out (and I agree) that all fear is not bad. The learned fear of pain is what keeps us from touching things we know will burn us. \u00a0We know that falling from something 10 feet can hurt us, so we are cautious at great heights. \u00a0A person who can not swim, is often afraid of falling into the water. \u00a0We justly fear things we know will\u00a0cause us harm, whether emotionally or physically. \u00a0In many cases we are kept alive by fear, it is an essential emotion!<\/p>\n

In some situations\u00a0fear is not a benefit to us, but is rather a hindrance to us. \u00a0If I am afraid of rejection I may not be willing to take important calculated risks at my job, or in my personal life, If I am afraid of the people around me, I won’t ask for help when I need it. \u00a0If I am afraid of failing at a task I want to pursue, I may never start the task in the first place. \u00a0This kind of fear is difficult for us to ignore, because it is an emotions based fear, and emotions can be fickle things. \u00a0 We often do not have the ability to predict emotional outcomes, so our fear can be justified to ourselves.<\/p>\n

When we are afraid, when we are full of fear, we need to seek peace.<\/p>\n

I don’t mean a simple “lets hold hands and sing Kumbaya” kind of peace, but a real inner peace. \u00a0Wikipedia describes inner peace below:<\/p>\n

“Inner peace (or peace of mind) refers to a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge<\/a> and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress. Being “at peace” is considered by many to be healthy homeostasis<\/a> and the opposite of being stressed or anxious. Peace of mind is generally associated with bliss and happiness. ”<\/p>\n

Wikipedia article on Peace<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Peace can drive out fear. \u00a0We often find peace going hand in hand with knowledge and understanding. \u00a0When we understand fireworks (and are expecting them) we are not afraid of the loud noises but can enjoy them for what they are. \u00a0By learning that the noise of a firework is part of how the beauty is created, I chose\u00a0to accept the noise because of the beauty. \u00a0 A person who learns to swim may find that they have little\u00a0reason to fear the water anymore. \u00a0Knowledge can drive out fear, understanding can bring peace.<\/p>\n

How many times do we fear a religion, refugees, and people who are of a different race, simply because we do not know them, we do not understand them? \u00a0Maybe we do not have enough knowledge to correctly judge between people who are a threat, and people who are threatened. \u00a0Perhaps we lack the understanding of the reality of racism in this country, since we have never personally experienced it.<\/p>\n

I am not saying that we should blindly risk everything for everyone, but I am saying that we should make an effort to confront our fears by making an effort to understand them.<\/p>\n

What if we started with pursuing knowledge and understanding first? \u00a0Wouldn’t we know more precisely what we SHOULD fear, and take steps to solve the problems we understand to be there? \u00a0 Wouldn’t we find ourselves at peace more often than we do now?<\/p>\n

Learn about the things that scare you.<\/p>\n

Try to understand them.<\/p>\n

Give peace a chance.<\/p>\n

Did you enjoy what you just read? Consider sharing it with your friends!<\/h3>