Philosophy of Happiness - Philosophy | Happiness | How to be happy

Fear, as opposed to Love, has a function to remind you of your separateness from others and the rest of the world. No living man is free from fear. Eliminate fear, and you will eliminate life. It is unwise to be ashamed of your fear, for it has nothing to do with your personality. Everyone is afraid from time to time, and that is how it should be, for fear supplements love and together they render life possible and maintain it in perfect balance.

The big question, however, is whether you usually fall prey to fear or you just allow it to be present and remain detached. If you let it take control over you, fear will stop you from doing things, which otherwise you might have enjoyed doing. Besides fear often engenders guilt and thus is the source of self-denial and self-hatred.

The way to conquer fear is not to eliminate it or become unadvisedly brave, but rather learn to be detached from it and accept it as a matter of course. Contemplation of fear whenever it arises and letting everything you are so afraid of to happen in your imagination, is a way to learn detachment from fear and liberate yourself from its overpowering control. Exercises in awareness in my book will help you to achieve that.

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