I would like to begin with two quotes I consider essential for facing any kind of fear: “Do it! Not daring can be much more damaging than daring and failing…” by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, and “A brave person is not someone without fear, but someone who knows how to conquer it,” by Nelson Mandela.
All fears stem from a fundamental fear: the fear of death. And why do we fear death? Because we have learned beliefs about it that limit us, inherited from our parents, teachers, partners, society, e, often, they aren’t truly ours.
Death is a natural process that invites us to live in the present without fear.
Our fears do not delay death, which will come when it’s time. Instead, they halt the flow of love and life. Out of fear of dying, we stop living..
The only certainty is the present moment. Guilt anchors us to the past, and thinking of the future brings fear and anxiety about what may come. The future is always uncertain.
When we think of the future, we feel insecure, anxious, distressed. Everything ahead of us is uncertain; it may happen, or it may not. Anything could occur—good, better, extraordinary—but, unfortunately, we often focus on the worst possibilities.
In the moment of dying, we realize that 90% of what worried us and drained our energy never happened, and we missed living those moments.
If we want peace, let’s stay in the present, with what is, with what’s right in front of us. When we say, “it is what it is,” we can face it, and it doesn’t inspire fear because there is nothing more.
The history of human evolution shows that survivors were not the most intelligent but those best at adapting. Life is continuous adaptation. Our DNA constantly transforms through epigenetics: wise nature, due to evolutionary need and adaptation, developed legs in fish to conquer land, leading to the first reptiles. Later, wings emerged, and we could conquer the air, a tremendous step forward in evolution—both real and symbolic.
Adaptation knows no fear. Adaptation flows when a being is ready.
Often, fears are mechanisms indicating we’re not yet prepared. When this happens, and our inability to adapt keeps us in fear, those fears will limit, block, and prevent us from being and giving our best.
Let’s stop pre-occupying ourselves and start occupying ourselves with whatever situation arises, whenever it does.
Life exists only in the present.
The fear of death transforms through knowledge that science provides. We fear what we do not understand.
Dra.. Lujan Comas
Presidenta Fundación Icloby