Fear is Your Friend

We spend so much effort in recovery trying to banish fear. We see it as a fault, a flaw and a failing. We say things like, “Fear and faith cannot exist in the same place.”

But what if that's not true? What if that is just backwards?

Pema Chodron, American Buddhist nun, scholar, writer, teacher, Mom and Grandma

has a lot to say about fear –and none of her wisdom positions fear as a bad thing we should flee from.

Here is a quote from Pema that I read this week:

“Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.”

That would mean that fear is a barometer, and that it is a useful tool. Kind of like that “Warm” and “Cold” game we played as kids---getting closer to the truth—you feel fear, moving away from your truth—you have less or no fear. Wouldn’t it be a shame to miss that? To not pay attention to how fear is talking to us?

“Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.” 

Ponder that, and just keep moving.



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More good stuff on fear and recovery in "Out of the Woods--A Guide to Long-term Recovery"  published by Central Recovery Press.