Thank Goodness it's Sunday #34...

I'm grateful for the right to take long-held "truths" and decide for myself that they are wrong. FDR said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Generalizations are so often incredibly shallow. A nice sound bite, but an esoteric idea that I think does more harm than good. It suggests that we must simply not be afraid. Actually, if you think about it, it's a pretty stupid thing to say. An abused child at the mercy of an abuser knows fear and it isn't just the fear they fear. I mean really. That's what the quote says. So does the person trapped by a rapist/mugger/thief/etc. The only thing they have to fear is fear. Really? What idiot would say that in such a situation? So does the soldier, who does what is required anyway. And I don't believe for a moment that FDR wasn't afraid of his paralysis. So all he had to fear was fear? Then there are things like cancer. Even the word strikes fear. In American Sign Language, one does not use the actual sign for cancer in a doctor's appointment but only the letter C, to keep from causing increased fear. What parent doesn't fear when they are told something is wrong with their child? What human being doesn't feel fear being told they have MS, leukemia, diabetes, heart disease, etc? Over and over, I've heard people speak of their fear and it often isn't for themselves but for their loved ones, and it isn't fear that their loved ones can't go on but simply knowing they want to be with them. The fear is of being separated from those they hold most dear. Fear is a part of the human experience. Pretending like it can be wiped out by simply not acknowledging it is the same as putting on blinders.

In truth, it can be incredibly healthy to feel fear, though it is not healthy to live in constant fear. I do believe that's where faith comes in. I've often heard it interpreted that if you fear then you lack faith. I hold that fear and faith reside side by side. Fear is not always a bad thing. How often have I been protected because my fear, healthy fear, steered me away from a dangerous situation? And what need of faith would I have if I had no fear? I've always liked the idea that if you're prepared, then you don't need to fear. But some things cannot be prepared for, and that is where our faith is tested. Faith needs to be exercised in order to grow and strengthen, just like any skill. One can deny one's fear, which doesn't actually make it go away. It only buries it under a pile of denial. Or, one can live in fear, making one useless to one's self and to others because fear is limiting. Or one can choose to acknowledge the fear and exercise faith by learning what one must do to move forward. I'm well acquainted with fear, and sometimes it's my friend, and I am learning to embrace faith. It isn't easy, but then nothing worthwhile in life is.

Variation: Albert Einstein is quoted as saying that a coincident is an event in which God chooses to remain anonymous. Recently I heard something similar that I like better. I did some quick homework, and the first mention of it is back in 2008. I heard it first from Glenn Beck, during his First American Christmas: Not a coincident but a God incident.