When we seek to become more courageous, we may believe that we have to uproot fear from our heart. But courage doesn’t require fear to be uprooted; it just requires fear to be exposed when it is unreliable. 

Fear itself is not a bad thing. Whenever we try to do something new and face some uncertainty, it is natural that we will feel some twinge of uncertainty within us, some apprehension, some fear. While fear can be a signal that warns us about danger, it can also be an unreliable signal. How can it be unreliable? In two ways: by missing the nature of the danger and by mistaking the magnitude of the danger. 

Missing the nature of the danger: In life, there are dangers which need to be avoided, and there are dangers which need to be confronted. Fear itself does not allow us to explore or know the difference between these two dangers. To know that difference, we need to focus on a purpose bigger than our fears, and thereby decide whether the danger is to be avoided or to be confronted.

Mistaking the magnitude of the danger: The fear we experience may be far out of proportion with the danger before us. Such a disproportionate fear on encountering a minor threat may be because of the scars we have endured in our past. For example, a person who has been burned by fire may feel overwhelming fear on seeing a small fire. 

Suppose we are going to meet a family member having a health emergency and our car’s GPS gives a ‘bad weather ahead’ signal. We would acknowledge that signal, but wouldn’t decide to stop driving just because of it. We would contemplate how important it is for us to be with our family member; we would evaluate whether the bad weather signal might be a false alarm; and then we would decide to drive ahead. 

When we thus recognize that fear can become unreliable, we can deal with it appropriately. Rather than giving up because of fear, we will acknowledge the possibility of danger pointed to by the fear, contemplate the purpose we are pursuing, evaluate whether the danger is serious, and thereafter progress if it is important for us. Thus, we can develop the virtue of fearlessness recommended in the Bhagavad-gita (16.01). 

Summary: 

To grow in courage, seek not to uproot fear; seek to uncover its unreliability.

Think it over: 

  • Why is fear itself not a bad thing?
  • In what two ways might fear be unreliable?
  • How can we respond to fear appropriately? 

***

16.01: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Fearlessness; purification of one’s existence; cultivation of spiritual knowledge; charity; self-control; performance of sacrifice; study of the Vedas; austerity; simplicity; … [– these transcendental qualities, O son of Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine nature.]

Audio explanation of the article is here: https://gitadaily.substack.com/p/how-to-grow-in-courage

To know more about this verse, please click on the image