Posted By admin on February 9, 2009
…the fact is, it’s not FOR anybody!
I came upon a couple significant revelations recently following what I might call a ‘victory’ over fear in my own life. The truth be told; I really dealt with fear during the first year to year and a half that I was flying for a living. That is especially unfortunate because it stained a lot of the teaching that I did as an instructor and led some students perhaps into reinforcing some of the same subtle fears that I was a captive of. The path to victory was strengthened when a quote from the book Dune by Frank Herbert was pointed out to me. The excerpt goes like this:
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
That was pasted from a Wikipedia entry, so to the Dune fanatics: please don’t write me hate mail if I mis-quoted Mr. Herbert!
Anyway… This quote really stood out to me. I mean, what a strong statement. Fear is the mind-killer. It jumped out at me and it was remarkable that it came to me in the way that it did (for positivity’s sake, I won’t expand on that any further). I started really reflecting on what fear meant to me, how strong it was, what its consquences were and whether it was something I had to live with. My findings would change my life forever. At least six months ago I would say that I reached the place of victory following some significant spiritual milestones, introspection and revelational shifts of my mindset. This has been the season I have been enjoying to ride out and continue to do so, unendingly I hope!
In the past couple weeks I have been studying the flight manual for the Sikorsky S-61 helicopter, including its emergency procedures. Considering the procedures and mentally placing myself in the scenarios described in the manual, I thought to myself Man, it would be really tough to remain composed in that situation. How can anybody really remember this stuff in the heat of THAT moment? And then it soon hit me. The realization.
Fear is not just for helicopter pilots. It’s not FOR anybody. But it can affect anybody, in any walk, any gender, any age and at any experience level. The fact that I had been dealing with fear was not proprietary to my profession. Once it had been dealth with, harnessed, put in its subdued place, I was released to operate with a renewed and strengthened confidence and ability. And it feels good.
Some truths that I would like to share with you:
- (Mind-gripping, debilitating, paralyzing, irrational) fear is not healthy. And it is not your friend. Bear with me… it is not from God.
- Fear can affect anybody - and it does. Taxi drivers, school teachers, monks and concert pianists are not excluded.
- (Lifelong) fear is not inevitable nor inherent. It does not ‘come with [any] territory’.
- Being afraid does not prove you are in the ‘wrong industry’.
- Living every day fearing that you could die doing what your hand finds for itself to do will only leave you expecting a catastrophe to happen. You will only be primed for impending doom. So when a non life-threatening, non-catastrophic emergency arises in your duty your panic following a lifestyle in agreement with fear will render you useless to yourself (and even those depending on you in the moment). This can directly cause the circumstances to escalate from a non life-threatening event into a real life catastrophe. On the other hand, when one finds peace and validation in their walk, they are liberated to operate with greater mental clarity, acuity and aptitude. In the event of an emergency, composure is everything. Therefore I conclude that…
- Everybody must pursue their own spiritual and emotional health - especially as it pertains to fear.
- Number six is not negotiable.
So, for now, that’s all. But I invite you to comment and/or contact me if you’d like to sound off or inquire about the topic. It’s not a complete conclusion for me, its a work in progress. Although I am truly enjoying the relatively new freedom and ability I now walk with. My hope for you is that you find the same.
KB
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