Monday Motivation for Success from Siva (MMFS-33): Fears that are upsetting you now might be totally untrue

Hi,

Is there anyone who hasn't experienced any fear in life yet? Perhaps no one. Fear of heat or cold, falling or drowning, failure or falter, loss or lacunae, dangers of wild and wicked, threats of the evil and insane, and what not? While it is certainly good to have fear of doing things that are harmful and stay away from them, it may be worth giving a thought whether it is appropriate to suffer pain and experience hurt and anger on account of fears that might never come true. We imagine at times situations turning out to be unfavourable to us and go through the pain with just the fear of their future negative consequences. And that pain of fear is so much that it hurts us much worse than when the unwanted actually happens. More often, that which was feared for might be totally untrue. Let us look at this incident from The Ramayana.

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Fears that are upsetting you now might be totally untrue 

When Bharata came to know that Rama left on account of his mother's demands, he felt very bad. He called his ministers and told them, "In our dynasty, the eldest son of the king is eligible to succeed and sit on the throne. Rama is the eldest among our brothers. Let us take all the army and everyone to the forest and complete the process of crowning of Rama as the king in the forest itself. And, when he leads us from the front and returns to Ayodhya, we will walk behind him. Let us get ready and go to the forest." Soon, Bharata left Ayodhya with his entire army and moved towards the forest.

There in the forest, Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita were enjoying the beauty of the forest. And, suddenly, they noticed the forest animals running hither and thither. They became silent and started listening quietly. They heard some commotion, and Rama asked Lakshmana to check where the noise was coming from. Lakshmana immediately climbed a tall tree and looked around from there. His eyes turned red with what he saw. He became very angry and quickly climbed down the tree. He told Rama with a lot of anguish, "Rama, the army of Kosala kingdom is coming this side. I could see the chariot of Bharata right in the front of it. He is coming to kill us. The army is also very alert and enthusiastic. Should we counter attack them right from here where we are or should we climb the mountain and take a strategic position there? Today, I will kill Bharata and pay my gratitude to my bow and arrows. And, you will be the king of Ayodhya." 

Rama calmed him and asked him to wait suggesting that Bharata might be coming to them only to take them back to the kingdom.
Look at Lakshmana! Initially, his heart was filled with so much of pain and anguish as he feared that Bharata was coming to kill them. That fear made him behave badly and talk wrongly about his own brother, Bharata. Lakshmana, however, repented later for what he feared about when he came to know that his fears were totally untrue.  

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I did experience many such fears and suffered the pain out of those imaginative failures and losses. And, when I looked back and saw myself how much frightened I was with some of those fears that never came true, it all looked like a big joke. I realised that I should not have magnified my fears and behaved the way I did or worried the manner in which I suffered. Now, when fears come to my mind, I started doubting them more. Is this fear really true? Will it really happen? Perhaps not. Then, why should I suffer the pain of loss now itself. The answers are more comforting and the life is becoming more peaceful. It could be for you too. 

Doubting your doubt is the key to calm your fear.

To your success,

With love and regards,

Siva