What is the worst that can happen?

Published: Wed, 09/30/20

I find that the more I have to think about the harder it is to write. I have managed to write the ninth module of the Foundation programme focusing on Rei and Hel. It took me a long time to get started because I needed to write about death and I needed to write about how I felt about my parents dying. There is no real reason to have a problem with the idea of death and dying, it is a completely natural and essential aspect of life, I just know that it is a difficult issue for a lot of people. Not much point in trying to avoid the issue in a post or article since none of us are going to avoid death one day. Sorry if you don’t want to be reminded of this detail but it is the number one fact about death, and a rare indisputable fact too. Don’t worry about it though, because I can give you two more indisputable facts about death:

2. If you are reading this then you are not dead yet.

3. You get to carry on living until your time to die comes.

So, the best thing to do is make the most of the time you do have in this incarnation. Once you have decided not to be afraid of dying then what is there to fear? Fear is the subject which has occupied my mind recently.

Why does this theme of fear matter so much right now? In case you have not noticed the world is in the grip of a pandemic of fear of dying. That is fear of dying because of a pandemic which actually seems to affect remarkably few people in a medical sense, but is still greatly feared for some reason. I am quite puzzled by the situation. However, puzzling situations can also be highly educational.

I have mentioned before that I once heard Emma Restall-Orr (AKA Bobcat) give a talk at a Druid camp on Pagan Ethics. She claimed that there were two issues which covered every ethical decision. These factors were ignorance and collusion. Her basic argument was that; if we are informed, and refuse to collude with wrong doing, then we will be able to do good in the world. I was sufficiently impressed with her argument to be repeating the gist of it over a decade later. However, her thesis has always seemed incomplete as well. From a Stav point of view a principle must have three aspects to be meaningful. Ignorance and collusion are only two, so I have been wondering if there was the third element which would actually make this principle stand up? I think it is clear now that the missing element is fear, and it is the fear factor which is dominating the world right now. It is possible to have access to the truth and know what
actions and activities should not be colluded with, and yet still keep quite and go along with the status quo because of fear. We have all done it at some time. We justify our silence and collusion as not offending others, not wanting to make trouble, or just arguing that we have no choice because it is the law or someone might hurt us if we disagree with them. This is normal and understandable and is also the reason we allow cruelty, violence, and injustice to continue in the world.

There are some very strong reasons why fear has such a powerful effect on our attitudes and behaviour. It does take quite a lot of introspection to recognise our fears and see how we might overcome them. The first fear is death. If I take this risk will I die? On one level this question keeps us sensible. For example, playing Russian Roulette is not a recommended recreational pass time even if it does give you quite a buzz each time the hammer falls without blowing your brains out. More important is weighing up the likely hood that we will be killed if we refuse to collude with a particular course of action. There are circumstances where this can happen, and indeed has done so many times in history. On the other hand, when confronted with extreme aggression there is nothing to be lost from fighting back and fear must be met with a choice between dying on your feet or living on your knees. If enough people can find the courage
to face their fears and fight then most may end up living on their feet with their self-respect intact. Of course we hope that we never have to make such a choice.

Secondly there is the fear of being ostracised. Speaking your truth and refusing to collude with prevailing attitudes can result in your being disowned by friends, family, colleagues, and others you thought you could rely on. This is never a nice situation, and again the fear is strong and understandable, but there is no real peace without integrity. No matter how much you may love someone you cannot sustain a relationship in opposition to an awakened conscience.

Thirdly there is the fear of losing material and financial security. Many people are keeping a home by servicing a massive debt. Jobs provide a degree of financial security including a pay check each month and possibly a pension later in life. Leaving or losing that job may mean losing home, income, and future prospects. Compromises may be demanded in return for maintaining ‘job security’. It is no fun going bankrupt and losing pretty much everything. Yet, when you realise how little you actually do need to live, and how possible it is to meet your real needs on your own terms, then there is no real need for compromise with either lies or falsehood.

The key to overcoming fear is not to deny or avoid anything but to fully accept the worse that can happen. Be aware of risks, fully come to terms with how you feel about that risk in your mind and body, and then move on at peace with dying one day, but living until that day with integrity and guided by an awakened conscience. Asking a lot? Yes, but letting go of fear is the only path to freedom. How much do you want to be free to live with integrity?

Regards

Graham