An
internet friend forwarded an email to me that got me pretty fired up. It was one of those
"Pass this on to your friends" emails that are circulated widely through the
internet and many of you receive. Sometimes it's a joke, or an inspiring poem, or a
petition about one thing or another. I delete 90% of these without much thought and I
had seen this particular one before, but I read it again for some reason.
In one way, I'm sorry I did because it hurts to be reminded of how filled with fear
people are and how they think and behave as a result. And I'm glad I read it for
exactly the same reason -- not because I enjoy feeling bad, but because it's important to
realize how much people are literally ruled by fear.
I think that when it comes right down to it, people do the things they do for one of
two reasons: Love or Fear.
Fear seems to happen almost automatically, with virtually no effort on our part. On the
other hand, Love requires us to consciously choose it. And choosing Love can take
tremendous effort.
We don't really need a Ph.D in philosophy to know what Love and Fear looks like, feels
like, or sounds like. Love looks like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Fear looks like the exact
opposite. But we're surrounded by negativity and fear so much that we accept it as the
norm.
At home, in our jobs, in the world around us, we have been sold a bill of goods. A
false message. And the message is: BE AFRAID...of just about everything and everyone.
We have forgotten that there is an option…forgotten that our lives don't have to be
filled with so much fear.
What it would be like to do things motivated by Love rather than Fear? If this sounds
like a nice, but impossible concept, start small. Begin with a thing or two that isn't
World Peace or even your job. A lot of it might not be what you are doing but
rather why you are doing it. Examine your attitude about why you do a particlar
thing. If you're doing something because you fear the consequences of not doing it,
see if you can turn your motivation around and do it for the love of something
(something positive!) or someone.
Fear is an enemy and it is real. Fear makes us a victim, afraid to go out and live life
as fully as God intended. Fear reflects itself to us like a carnival mirror that distorts
certain parts of the image way out of proportion. If we begin to think of that image as
being real, our fear can hold us in a grip of despair that is disabling...even
suffocating. Depression can take over. And then Hope, our biggest ally, our greatest
advocate, can become disabled and forgotten...unable to come to our aid because we’ve
quit believing there is anything to have hope about.
The best way to battle Fear is to "beef up" our own forces. Look
inside yourself and recognize that Love is an integral part of who you are! Love is within
every one of us. Contribute your love to others through the choices you make and the way
you live your life. Then Love will overpower Fear. True Love will conquer Fear.
I feel the stab of fear now and then, but that’s okay because the wondrous, joyful
light bulb that has illuminated my head and heart is that I can choose how I
think, believe, and live.
And I choose Love. Won't you join me?
Mark Reiman is
the co-founder and Editor-In-Chief of Incredible People Magazine. He is the author
of Through the Perilous Fight: Living a Life of Challenge, available
through the author. Email him at