EASING YOUR FEARS

By Peter M. Kalellis

The last couple of months of fear and anxiety have gone by yet leaving most people in wonder. Why has this unexpected enemy, Coronavirus, invaded the world? All ages afraid of death; others are dying without the availability of proper care. We have no rational answers for the many “whys” or to another question, “what is the meaning of suffering?”

Ram Dass offers his impression of what suffering meant to him: “When I look back on the suffering in my life, this may sound strange, but I see it now as a gift. I would have never asked for it for a second. I hated it while it was happening, and I protested as loudly as I could, but suffering happened anyway. Now, in retrospect, I see how it deepened my being immeasurably.”

Over more than three weeks, fear about the virulently spreading COVID-19 has shaken our entire world. For thousands of people, these critical days have caused terrible hours of anxiety as we watch our nation and what we imagined our future could be. Disease and death, while grim adversaries in this life, will not have the final word over our souls. Somehow our lives and peaceful ways surely brighten conversations when all other lights have gone out.

YOUR INNER SELF
Life is a great blessing to be cherished every moment as we listen carefully to that inner voice of—our inner true self’s gentle whisper. As we get to know our inner spiritual self, it becomes easier to learn the purpose and meaning in life.

Nature has already reached its ultimate glory with better weather prompting trees and flowers to blossom and more delightful days outdoors. And while the faithful have celebrated the spring traditions of Easter and Passover, our human spirit and life are resurrected. We feel happier, kinder, more loving, and better satisfied with life.

REGAIN & SUSTAIN
So long as we are alive, there will always be something that can be done to improve and refine yourself. As we have explored in previous articles, the complexities of our human condition do create obstacles for our growth; problems need to be identified and resolved. To regain and sustain a healthy self requires the development of resources that can facilitate and nurture the restoration process. With a caring attitude, you need to ask yourself, what is it that I want out of my life, what steps do I need to take to attain a healthy and satisfying existence? Then allow a little time to hear the heart’s silent whisper from your inner self.

HEALING YOUR WORLD
Start where you are right now. A contemporary society provides means and ways for our physical convenience and enjoyment.

Medical science makes a remarkable contribution in terms of procedures to secure optimal physical health.  Psychiatry and psychology offer techniques to make healing possible and to stabilize individuals. If the world is to be healed through human efforts, it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear. Your career, your work is undoubtedly important, as is your income, your health, your talent, your energy, and your relationships.

Your physical body is at work every moment since your conception: multiple mechanisms designed efficiently that no human effort could ever be able to match. Your heart beats, your lungs breathe, your ears hear, your eyes see, your hair grows. And you don’t have to make them work—they just do. Now it’s time to realize, your willingness to relax allows it to work for your benefit and most of all peace of mind.