Fear – The Evil and Corroding Thread…
I went to a meeting with some like-minded friends this morning and as I was the meeting chair, I had the job to come up with a topic. I had thought about it for quite a while and thought the topic of “fear” would be an excellent discussion point. I took notes as my friends shared and made a list of the most important ideas that I heard. I’ve also included some thoughts of my own along the way.
- Most all fear is ego-based. I hear something I didn’t want to hear or am not getting what I want.
- Fear is often not based in reality. Fear is most often based in negativity.
- Acronyms for fear: F*%) Everything And Run and False Evidence Appearing Real
- A paraphrase about fear from Mark Twain: “Everything I worry about didn’t happen, so it works!”
- There are rational fears and then there’s panic.
- When considering our fears: “Is this the hill I want to die on?”
- Lots of fears are self-centered
- Fear keeps me from being present in the moment.
- Lots of fears come from or are based on past experiences.
- Worrying doesn’t change anything.
- Fear can either motivate or paralyze us.
- Fear is a lack of faith.
- Fear is a liar.
And then there’s the reading from the Big Book of AA, on which our discussion was based:
“This short word somehow touches about every aspect of our lives. It is an evil and corroding thread; the fabric of our existence was shot through with it. It set in motion trains of circumstances which brought us misfortune we felt we didn’t deserve. But did not we, ourselves, set the ball rolling? Sometimes we think fear ought to be classed with stealing. It seems to cause more trouble.” (P. 67:2, ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’)
David Lee 