FEAR And ANGER

Anxiety disorders are on the rise. People suffer from generalised anxiety about life and they worry to the point when they cannot handle life any more. At the root of this depression lies fear and insecurity, fear of the unknown, fear of death or suffering, fear of gain or loss, fear of failure. Worrying does not help the cause, instead, it brings down the level of productivity for a person. The anxiety itself is a cause of concern. Stress level of everyone is on the increase.

Let us examine these feelings of fear, depression and anxiety from the point of view of evolution as well as from the Vedantic point of view.

Fear and anger are emotions that trouble all human beings from the time they are born. Anger and fear are supposed to be a sort of throwback to our primeval instincts. They are the basis of the response known as “fight or flee”.

The only way that primitive man could save himself from danger was either to fight the enemy or run as fast as possible from it! Anger was essential if he wanted to fight! The emotion of anger would pump adrenalin into his blood stream and even a weak man would be able to fight with a strong opponent. Nature has given us another method of protecting ourselves from dangers. If we cannot fight, we can run as fast as possible and thus save ourselves. To help us in this Nature has provided “fear”. Again, adrenalin is pumped into our blood -stream and it is as if wings are given to our feet and even an ordinary man will be able to run like an Olympic sprinter_!

These two reactions were essential for us to live in that age when we had no weapons of any kind and lived in the midst of jungles. These two were part of our kit for survival. However, in these times these two reactions are the ones which will lead us into trouble. By losing our temper we are not going to convince anyone of anything. On the contrary, the more angry you get, the more people will react and the situation will totally get out of control.

Despite all our modern technologies, we find that today a lot of people live in fear, even though it may not be outwardly apparent. In fact, the fear of death is something that haunts everyone till the day that they actually die but they try to hide this fear by doing hundreds of things that make them believe that they have no fears and are very strong and capable of protecting themselves. We bolster up our courage by buying more and more objects which we think will give us security.

Another thing that we can understand by analysis, is that our anger arises because we don’t get the type of response that we expect from a person or a situation.

When children leave home and start to live alone, they find that life is not the bed of roses that they expected. Fear creeps into their mind. They don’t know if they will get a good job or if they do get a job they don’t know how to behave with the boss and other people in the office. Again, fear and anger will rear their ugly heads. If these sorts of situations keep recurring, the young girl or boy will begin to feel more and more fearful and angry. The basic reason for most types of fears is due to our insecurity. Till a certain age children feel secure with their parents but that does not last long. The girl is promised security if she gets married but very often that is also a shaky promise since she is expecting security from a man who is equally insecure.

All of us are really frail both physically, emotionally and spiritually. But our egos tell us that we are great! However, our experiences prove that this is not so. How can we depend on a personality that does not even know what the immediate future holds for us let alone the distant future? We might step on to the road and be hit by a car or slip on a banana peel or fall down in a faint! We are really riddled by insecurity yet we put on a brave front and pretend that we are in complete control!

Let us now see what Vedanta has to tell us about fear and anxiety. Let us analyse our fears and see where they come from. We will find that they come from a basic sense of insecurity which stems from ignorance. We fear what we don’t know. In the dark we can mistake a rope for a snake and start trembling with fear. Once someone brings a torch the fear will totally vanish and you might even laugh at yourself. Thus, Vedanta tell us that ignorance of “who we are” is the root cause of fear, anxiety and stress. We do not understand that our true Self is the Atman which is nothing but the Brahman.

When one thinks of oneself as a small particle (like an atom or anu in Sanskrit) in the universe, which has no influence and is not linked to anyone or anything, which is not a part of the universe, which does not participate in the global creation or continuation, then one does not give much importance to one’s existence, or one’s purpose in life. Children should be taught that we are a very important part of creation and each one of us needs to play our part for the effective functioning of the cosmos, just as we are important parts of a family, our workplace, school or social network. We think of ourselves as being inconsequential. This is turn makes us think that ‘we do not matter, our thoughts and feelings do not matter, and no one cares for us’!

The fact is that this entire cosmos is a creation of that Supreme Brahman and that Brahman exists everywhere. It also exists in all humanity as the atman. Once this belief sinks in, we begin to understand that we have a purpose not only in our own life but in the cosmos as a whole. We begin to see ourselves as the agents of that Supreme and that we are here in order to fulfil a purpose for the greater good.

We cannot deny the differences amongst us but what binds us is the fact that our Self or atman is the same in all and relates us to the Universal Self or Brahman.

That force or power that we call “God” actually exists everywhere, at all times – that is to say it is beyond the range of space, time and causality. That power is the ONLY thing that lies beyond these limitations. The only cure for our insecurity is to have recourse to that power. Luckily for us IT is available at all times and all places. IT has no limitations of any kind. All of us without exception can have recourse to that power at any time. But unfortunately, we do not make use of it. We are like a person who has a torch in his bag but forgets about it when the lights go out. The only way we can get rid of our fears is by connecting with that source of all life which lies within us. Once we get into the habit of tapping into that infinite source of power, we will find that our fears automatically disappear.

Another very important method of conquering fear and anger is to practice pranayama or breath control. Our emotions are closely connected with our breath. We can never be angry if we are breathing softly and slowly. Our culture has given us various types of pranayamas, by practicing which we can slowly start to control our anger, fear and other negative emotions.

It is the duty of a guru to make us understand that the source of all power lies within us. The guru will also tell us certain methods by which we can make use of this source. These methods are known as “yoga” in the Sanatana Dharma. The word “yoga” comes from the word “yuj” which means “to unite”. The embodied soul which we call “the jivatma” always feels a sense of insecurity which it covers with a show of bravado. It can never be perfectly secure till it unites with “the Paramatma”, of which it is a part. Only when the part joins the whole can it feel a sense of security and be free from fear! When we start practicing yoga of any sort, we will slowly feel a sense of security since we feel closer to the divine power within us. It is only when that union is perfect that we will enjoy perfect security and at last get freedom from the fear that has dogged us from birth onwards!

This faith in a Supreme Being that is ever ready to help us and who protects us constantly even without our knowledge is the only security that a human being can possess.

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that even a little bit of this knowledge will save us from great fear.

“Swalpamapysya dharmasya trayato mahato bhayat”

So let us try to understand the nature of this Being and let us try to approach It with all the faith and love that our hearts are capable of, for this alone can give us full protection and security in life and free us from fear.

Hari aum tat sat