Freedom from the Fear of Death

The fear and anxiety that all humans know is not expressed at one only point or one only place in their lives. Our fears may take the form of all kinds of strange phobias. Our anxieties are not all the same but they are many. One man's mole hill is another man's mountain. That said, all of us know what it like to be afraid. I recently read that 40% of our population suffers from some kind of anxiety disorder. I would say that 100% of our population suffers from anxiety. All of us know what it is like to be choked with a nervous rush of anxiety. I think most of us know those moments when the suggestion of some feared thing drains the blood from our faces and the strength from our legs. Different things trigger this for each one of us but it is the same sensation. Let me suggest to you what are the core concerns resting deep in your fears and points of anxiety. #1. The fear of being lonesome (separated from some sustaining companionship). #2. The fear of judgment, rejection. (not just being separated but being sent away). #3. The fear of pain; of ongoing and increased suffering. (not just being separated and sent away but suffering still). If we had time, I think we could demonstrate that these three threads, woven together, make up the whole of all our fears and anxieties. These three fears collectively grow out of the fear of death. And our lives are subject to the unique bondage of fear as a result.

Let me also add that these fears are not unfounded. In fact they are well founded.