How is it possible to have our fears, but not be our fears?

One way is – to face our fears.

‘We fear what can harm us, but fear may often arise when we unexpectedly en-counter those things that would heal us.’ As when we ‘inadvertently bump into God’. ’Just because (we are) afraid does not mean (we are) in danger’. ¹

Muller says, ‘We may actually feel safer when we move toward those things that frighten us, not when we move away.’ ² As Palmer says ‘If you can’t get out of it, get into it.’ ³ ‘As we move closer to our fears, accept them, explore them, and examine our response to the anticipation of danger, we may begin to discover that we have within ourselves all that is required to feel safe.’ ⁴

‘Many of our fears are based on ignorance, or prejudice, rather than reality. These fears can be dispelled simply by coming to terms with the facts. For instance, more often than not, getting to know our neighbours can dispel our fear of getting involved with them’.

‘A little while ago a friend of mine wanted to get involved with a person in the community with a disability. But he was afraid of getting involved, because he felt awkward around people with disabilities. He didn’t know anybody with a disability, and he didn’t know how to relate to anybody with a disability. He was embarrassed to admit it, but he was actually quite scared. However, after I was able to introduce him to a neighbour with a disability, and they were able to spend some time together, he discovered, to his delight, that his neighbour with a disability was pretty much like him. His fear, based on ignorance, totally disappeared in the light of his discovery of their common humanity.’ ⁵