"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."
I recently had my own bout with anger, and I can attest to the fact that it's easy to get sucked into this cycle that starts with fear and ends with nothing but suffering. When we find ourselves angry over something, it also seems simpler at times to place blame on someone else and transfer all that negative emotion onto them. In reality the only thing we're accomplishing when we do this, though, is to create a black spot on our own hearts.
But as Yoda indicates, anger is not the beginning, it's fear that is the real culprit. When you think about what it is that you are afraid of and attempt to face those fears, it is then that you can truly start to free yourself from suffering.
So what is my greatest fear? I most fear being alone. This fear has led me to suffering throughout my life in many ways, and it is the very reason why I am here, right now, writing this blog. Self sufficiency and independence are both life goals that stem from my desire to overcome the fear of being alone.
There's another thing that Yoda says which I have always believed myself:
"Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do no. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is."
I think it's best to understand that even when you are not alone, may you have family, a romantic relationship or even a pet, in the end death will separate us all. When you hold too tightly to those you care about, not only do you run the risk of driving them away by suffocating them, but you are also setting yourself up for unnecessary suffering. People are social animals, and we do need the company of others in order to be mentally healthy, but becoming attached to each other to the point where we feel possessive of one another is not healthy.
What is it that you most fear? Being alone? Being with someone? Failure? Success? Death? Life? Every fear comes with a price.
I will leave you with this Yodaism which is best left up to individual interpretation and reflection:
"Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter."
Careful, Yoda also missed a massive conspiracy that unfolded right under his nose. Or are we sticking to the first trilogy?
ReplyDeleteOf Episodes 1-3 we do not speak. Relevant they are not.
DeleteTunnel vision you have, yeeeeeeeeeees!
ReplyDeleteDan
Great entry, and I especially like the question you left us with at the end, "What is it that you most fear?"
ReplyDeleteI want it to be original, I want it to be unique, but alas, it's just "failure." How mundane is that? On the plus side though, my definition of failure keeps changing, so that's something. *smile*
Dan
That's a pretty hard fear to conquer. I feel like mine is easy comparatively, lol. Failure is such a broad term that as you point out can encompass a lot of things, and I could see that being an ever moving target.
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