|
Eurípedes
Kühl |
|
Overcoming our
fears |
"We classify
fear as one of
creature's worst
enemies, because
it enters our
soul, and
affects our
inner and
deepest
strength".(1)
Part 1
According to the
Great
Encyclopedia
Larousse,
fear is the
feeling of
uneasiness,
apprehension in
the face of a
real or imagined
danger.
The word fear
also means
dread, horror,
terror, panic.
Thomas Hobbes
(1588-1679),
English
philosopher,
much discussed
some time ago in
the media of
psychoanalysis,
defined fear:
"(...) fear is a
feeling that
inspires us the
real possibility
of being
affected by a
real evil, by an
evil we know by
experience".
We, Spiritists,
know that beyond
the "real evil",
visible,
tangible, there
are also the
real, invisible,
intangible ones,
known by us as
obsession...
The first moment
that man
experienced
fear, takes us
right back to
the Stone Age,
with our
ancestors
seeking refuge
in caves,
because of the
great dangers of
lightning,
thunder,
tornadoes,
volcanoes,
earthquakes,
tsunamis, cosmic
eclipses and so
on.
Such events
today are well
explained, but,
at that time,
were considered
supernatural and
determined by
terrible,
vengeful gods.
That is when
burnt-offerings,
gifts, promises
began. By the
way they have
not yet calmed
down the gods'
anger...
In this article,
we will list
some kinds of
fear.
Natural fears
Natural fears
are those with
which all of us
are born with...
Fire/Bangs/Imbalances
/Death-dead/The
Unknown.
NOTE: When we
say that
everyone is born
with fear of
death or of the
dead we refer to
the Westerners
and their
childhood. When,
still very
young, they see
their parents
with great
suffering in
funerals and
burials of
relatives or
friends. Thus,
they learn and
it is recorded
in their
subconscious
that death is
terrible...
Friendly fears
The so-called
"friendly fears"
are those ruled
by prudence and
they keep us
alive, i.e.:
- The
vegetable:
it seeks for
light and water.
Thus, it
indirectly
avoids shade and
drought. By
doing this, it
keeps alive.
- The animal:
it runs from a
predator or
flees from the
battle if it is
in disadvantage,
and it does not
do this out of
cowardice, but
his
self-preservation
wants him to
live.
- Man:
several choices
almost infinite
because his
intelligence
opens a range of
options and he
is guided to
always avoid
harmful
consequences;
i.e., he does
not overtake on
a curve, does
not play on the
edge of a cliff,
and does not
light a match
near fuel, and
so on.
We strongly
state that these
are not fears,
but, yes, a
consequence of
prudence, due to
man's
self-preservation,
created by God
and found in all
creatures.
Enemy fears
Are those that
harm human
beings, not
through some
action, but
precisely by its
opposite,
through
inaction, i.e.:
- Fear of
change: it
is an archenemy
of all Humanity
and it shows in
a job or meeting
environment, for
example, when
there is a fear
to relocate
people/objects/furniture...
- Fear to
face life's
challenges,
such as taking
responsibility
regarding
family,
profession or
social life.
Irrational fears
Irrational fears
are those
feelings that
block thinking
and are built
and based on
what goes
against common
sense, such as:
"Fear of going
to the
dentist". If
you notice it is
not "being
afraid of a
dental
treatment", but
"to go to the
dentist"...
If a father
tells his son
(as a child)
that six people
were formerly
necessary to
extract a tooth
(five to hold
the patient and
a sixth person
to use the
pliers),
certainly this
child during his
life, will be
prudent and will
be first one to
want to go to a
dentist for
"prevention",
thus maintaining
is oral health.
If a treatment
is necessary, he
might even ask
for an
"injection"
(anesthesia), to
feel only a
light sting...
Real fears
They are among
the uneasiness
that follows a
trauma, such as:
- Attack:
someone is
attacked and is
afraid of being
attacked again.
Therefore, he
stops going out,
stays at home,
and starts
living a life of
a recluse. The
correct attitude
would be to
continue going
out normally,
but with extra
caution; and if
he is attacked
again, certainly
he will be more
balanced to act
with lesser
risks;
- Speaking in
public: someone
says something
and someone
laughs at him...
this person is
taken by fear
then. However,
if this same
person
practices, even
if in the
bathroom, in
front of a
mirror, and then
in front of his
family, he will
notice that he
will gradually
master this
technique. It is
not necessary to
be a brilliant
orator, but
someone who
speaks clearly.
- Infection: to
wash your hands
is excellent.
There will only
be a problem if
it becomes too
much...
- "To fly":
indeed, airline
disasters occur,
but the plane is
tens or hundreds
of times safer
than cars...
NOTE: Generally,
these fears turn
into manias,
phobias, then
neuroses, and
may progress
into
psychoses...
Imaginary fears
They are false
feelings,
because they
have not
happened, but
live in one's
mind as if real.
Men formulate
thoughts. When
these thoughts
are fixed, they
become a mental
"reality" and
this is when the
imaginary fear
of something,
which has not
happened yet,
appears - this
only happens
among humans.
This is the most
harmful of
fears, because,
it is often
rooted in the
past and
expresses itself
now in the
present. How are
we to be afraid
of something
that has not
happened yet?
Examples:
- A student (too
thin, or of
short stature or
wearing glasses,
or obese)
carries with him
the fear of not
being accepted
and, therefore,
he does not
socialize.
- A young man
who lives
distressed
because he
thinks he might
not get a
girlfriend.
- A delivery
boy, who since a
child was not
told that the
purpose of going
to a dentist is
to cure a
"toothache" and
not to cause
pain. This young
man will even be
afraid of
delivering a
pizza to a
dentist...
- Fear of
terrorists: the
level of fear
can reach the
stage of terror,
very common in
people who
suffer from
"panic
disorder".
NOTE: Panic
syndrome: this
word derives
from Pan, the
Greek god, flute
player, who
terrorized the
peasants with
his horns and
horse paws.
Patients with
this syndrome
suffer intensely
with severe
symptoms, going
from anxiety to
heart
palpitations,
sweating,
trembling,
shortness of
breath, nausea,
fear of madness,
and are very
much afraid of
death.
In the United
States, post
trauma caused by
the tragedy of
September 11,
2001
(destruction of
the "Twin
Towers" by
terrorists) even
made propaganda
put a gas mask
on "Barbie", the
famous doll...
Phobias
A phobia is
accompanied by
an exaggerated
and persistent
fear (morbid)
that has no
limits regarding
the causes that
produce it. The
phobic suffers
terribly. The
army of fears,
on that level,
is almost
unlimited.
(Continued on
next issue).
(1)
Governor's
Instruction -
In: "Our Home"
(O Nosso Lar),
Andre Luiz / FCX,
Chapter 42, pg.
230, 48th Ed.,
1998 FEB
(Brazilian
Spiritist
Federation)
Rio/RJ.
|