Unexpected Freedom

Who Says it’s Wrong to Feel Afraid?we get more energy, and we can move out of that situationfast. That’s what’s supposed to happen, that’s an appropriatereaction. But often the same thing happens inappropriatelyfor some imagined reason or threat. We develop verycomplex patterns of avoiding the knowledge that we’re doingthis fear. We somehow feel a victim of it. And in our state ofhelplessness the only thing we are able to do is judge it aswrong, decide that we’re failing. But it is possible for us toexpand beyond these contracted reactions with our welldevelopedradiant awareness, free from judgement and evenfrom the need to understand. Awareness is simply willing toreceive accurately.When awareness outshines these shadowy reactions ofdenial and avoidance, the dynamic activity of fear that we aredoing reveals itself. We feel it happening, we feel ourselvesdoing this constriction that obstructs the feeling of life, thatobstructs the possibility of beauty, of intelligence, of love.Maybe we come to see that the possibility of loving is alwayshere. In fact, it’s the most natural condition. We see that theonly thing that obstructs it is this contraction of fear thatwe’re performing out of unawareness. And maybe if wecome to see this for ourselves, we give up trying to becomemore loving, we give up trying to not be afraid. It’s a waste oftime trying to be more loving. It’s like trying to make moneywhen you’ve got a fortune in the bank.Why Pretend about Reality?If we see that we’re obstructing the heart’s radiance, then wecan begin to feel what’s behind that tendency to obstruct thatwe’re habitually involved in. If we do this, then that tendencyto obstruct is what we become interested in, not some newimproved image of ourselves that we’re trying to synthesize.87