Illness of FEAR

Until man honestly appreciates the severity of the nature of his thoughts, he is destined to live in the chains of affliction. And the gravest prison house is presided over by the cruel warden of FEAR. It is nothing but fearfulness, after all, that sets one person apart from another. Fear has many faces, names and identities. For some it is the fear of religious dogmas run amok. For yet others it creeps up in so many inferiority complexes that keep their thinking, and therefore their lives, in small and unsubstantial anonymity.

What is seldom noted, is the mind's propensity for putting flesh and breathing life into the bones of ideas that inhabit one's thoughts. All prophecies are self-fulfilling. Tell yourself that you are worthless, talentless, poor, ignorant and desperate and before long, behold! Worthlessness. Lack of ability. Poverty. Ignorance and desperation. The flip side of that coin is the good news. Reverse the psychology, dwell on your priceless value, talent, wealth, knowledge and confidence and all these virtues will be yours in abundance.

Beyond Positive Affirmations

The brain chemistry that makes this possible is not simply blind, optimistic affirmations. Nor can you "wish" yourself into good health, love or prosperity. It is not enough to make a wall-length collage of the mansion you want to have, the airplane you will travel in and the model-year Ferrari you see in your possession. The advice is not to indulge in fantasies of ecstatic wealth and good fortune. The science behind accurate thinking is just that: thinking accurately.

So how is this accomplished? First of all it is imperative to banish every fearful thought of the mind. Fears of ill health, bad fortune, financial loss and misery tend to attract the very thing which is unwanted. The fearless mind can remain fearless because in every situation and at all times it acts with integrity, good will, honesty, optimism, altruism and the sincere desire to see upon others that which one would like for oneself and one's family. If these qualities are not true of you, then there is no way to avoid fear and its adjoining consequences in your life.

Fear is an Illness

It seems harsh to refer to fear as an "illness," but there is no better word for it. It very much has the potential to manifest itself in clinical, physical ailments if it goes unabated in the mind. It may be said that the opposite of fear is confident faith. However it is nearly impossible to have faith if one does not believe in a Power greater than oneself, be it God or some other name for the Lifeforce of the Universe. This is why atheism and mental disorders are so closely tied. The same may be said, by the way, of religious fanaticism and mental disorders... which is merely the opposite side of the same coin.

As with nearly everything else in life; fulfillment, health and happiness is found in the BALANCE between blind, exuberant faith, and baseless, perpetual and unprovoked fear. Yet even faith must be rooted in something, and that something is an integrity of word, deed, thought and action. Simpler still: doing what you say, saying what you do. Acting in accordance with one's life principles and guiding tenets. For most, religious authority is the source of these, but that must not necessarily be the case. As a person matures and learns to advantageously put the powers of one's mind to use, it is plain to see that the laws upon which a happy, prosperous and productive life may be attained are inscribed in the very patterns of nature all about.

Self-confidence based on Integrity of Heart and Mind

There is a price for self-confidence and faith. It is not simply "available to all for the taking." In order to tap into the faith of self-confidence, which leads to self-actuating deeds that become self-fulfilling prophecies of health, peace and prosperity, one's actions must be balanced by integrity of thoughts and feelings. This literal wholeness is the organic result of living with a consciousness free of guilt, torment and remorse. One may only free oneself of these demons if one's life is upright in nature and free from destructive, fearful thoughts brought about by corrupt actions.

Perhaps this brief article is only begs more questions than it answers, and so cannot be the final word on the subject. But let it be an introduction. It is possible to live in victorious confidence, but as any other reward, it must be earned by integral and upright living. This is not a recipe to allow those who revel in vice to continue indulging destructive acts with a clear conscience. The very thought is ludicrous, because in this life we all reap exactly what we sow. Whether much and tending to life, or little and rooted in death. As Jiminy Cricket so wisely sang to Pinocchio, "Always let your conscience be your guide." For in these words lie the keys to fearlessness, health, happiness and victory. And this my friends, is anything but a silly children's tale.

- Luis Herrera