Fear Less

I sometimes imagine what it would be like if the flight I’m on exploded into flames, or if the elevator I’m in suddenly plummeted ten floors to the bottom of the building. I imagine the crowded flyover collapsing under the weight of so many cars and the movie hall full of smoke and people running to escape. It’s thoroughly bizarre and unrealistic, so I tell myself to stop being psychotic and realize that the law of attraction is always at play thus I’d be better off thinking positive.

My wild imaginings are definitely the product of a mind under too much media influence, something I’m desperately trying to remedy. I've stopped reading the newspaper because the headlines are always full of rape, murder and other horrific things. Selecting what news I want to read online is so much nicer. I do not open emails that I know are spreading ‘true’ stories of how people were attacked or robbed or stabbed or suffered at the hands of authority/our government. I already know this happens, and telling me the gory details doesn't change anything. Whenever people get bad news, the first thing they want to do is share it. They ruin someone else’s peace of mind and more often that not, the news doesn't even concern them. Avoiding unnecessary negativity isn't burying one’s head in the sand, it’s choosing to focus on what will help one feel better and be of more use to the world in general.

Certain well-meaning souls doubt the intentions of others, fear what could happen to their loved ones and live in a constant precautionary state. The children aren’t safe walking to the market, the roads aren't safe at night and people are not to be trusted easily. I agree that we do have to be smart about things and not tempt circumstances, but there is a fine balance to achieve. It’s the sad truth that things can and do happen, but that’s why we need to be stronger than ever. We need to live fully, and that's not possible in fear. Nothing changes if you stay home under the blanket, but if you step out into the sunshine, you get a chance to live. We cannot know what will be, and we most certainly cannot change it; the only thing we can do is make the most of the time we have. Call me fatalistic, but people have died slipping on banana peels. 

Don’t let the naysayers get to you - some with far less have done a lot more because they didn't waste time looking over their shoulder. We like to control each other with fear, hold each other down. For ourselves and for those we love, we need to climb out of the quicksand and just refuse to sink.