Fear one another pt. 2

With this text I have two points:

To sum up:

Desire –> fear of losing –> thieves/people

First point:

Do we have our focus on the wrong “source” of fear? Most people in our culture fear only the last step in the formula: thieves/people.
Maybe it is time to lead our focus at least on step back, if not two.

Working on your fear of losing is hard, but possible. As is getting rid of desires, but yet people do this every day (most of them are hidden away in temples & monastery’s, though;)  

But I am a firm believer and supporter of the thought that these incredible feats of self-discipline are still possible whilst living a modern life in our western culture.

To sum up:

Would it matter if we lost our affectionate, perhaps inherited wristwatch or necklace? Can one lose his personality just like that?
Second point:

We fear losing material things because, to some extent, they describe who we are.

But do they really? Are we just mixing the two together?

Genuine personality (actions, thoughts, feelings, etc.)

Personal belongings <– current fear

In the end, what is more important for who you are? Items or characteristics?

Thank you for sticking with me through this blabble. Have a nice day! :)

Fear one another

People fear people. Why? There must be more than a few reasons.

Could one of them be fear of losing? If so, what we afraid of losing? Rights? Status? Possessions? Not having what we desire, maybe. 

But what do we desire? More privileges? Better status or more possessions? Is the biggest fear of losing that of losing what we already have, or is it that of not having what we desire?

I have a pen – I don’t fear losing it. I have a shirt, too – I don’t fear losing that either. I have some kind of status on wordpress – or had, haha :) – I don’t exactly fear losing it, but I do desire a better one, a better status.

But where does fear of people come in play then? Luckily for me, it’s non-existent. But if I were, say, a business guy and I wanted to increase in ranks, but the one thing to stop me was my “competitor”, then the situation is somewhat different. If I fear not getting what I want, and this opposite person is the one thing in my way, the one symbol for failure, then yes – I might have a slight fear of him. But only because of the desire in me – not really anything to do with him.

Back to the point.

I have tiny bit of money, but I don’t exactly fear losing them. But losing my money would be a shame, though, because of the intentions and therefore desires I have for using them, or having them at least.  

Again, if I was to have a LOT of money I might grow a slight fear of losing them. (It always starts with a slight fear, I think – and without training of the mind this fear grows with time) More on that later.

So with a lot of money, most people in our culture would have a fear of losing it. This is maybe the most common reason for us to fear one another – money. With them come always thieves, and they are everywhere – on the street, at work, in the school and in the government.

More reasons to fear people. But again it is noteworthy to note that this fear does not come from the thieves themselves, the people around us. It comes from within. I like formulas: Desire –> fear of losing –> fear of thieves/people.

 Affection

Let’s say I have affection for some of my posessions. Be it a necklace, jacket or an inherited wristwatch. Would I fear that they could be gone tomorrow? Remember, these objects are kind of a part of my personality. Losing them could be a huge punch to my whole being. (at least some people out there feels that way). Maybe I would. But what excatly is it that I fear? The items are items no matter what, but the fact that I feel affection for them, that they are close to my heart means that they are.. what? personal items? Could it be that I fear losing my personality? That I hold on to certain items because I am insecure of my self? Afraid of losing the individuality in me in this messy culture maybe?

Can our personality really be lost through the loss of certain items? I think not.

Interesting thought.

 

This post was longer than expected. I will therefore ask you nicely to read nr. 2, (my next post) to stay with me for my point of all this.

 

As always – thanks for reading :)