THE DYSTOPIA OF PERCEIVED FEAR

Real threats or perceived threats, the difference is consequential, especially when lives are concerned.

The world we live in, when it is fear-based, responds within the limbic system (amygdala), reducing access to the prefrontal cortex, where more proper sorting of events can occur. To live in this world of fears, on a continuing or even episodic basis, is to live in delusion of reality, reactively, reflexively, responding to particular and selective stimuli.

Our egos and our ‘ideas’ about ourselves, ’need’ to be defended, lest the faux status of whom we think we are, is harmed and thoroughly depreciated. “What would my employer think if I am less than ‘this’ particular threshold I hold of myself?” “My spouse is going to think I am such a loser if I don’t stand up and defend myself!” My friends’ opinions of me will go into the gutter if I don’t act like a man.”

The source of the above is ‘fear’. The one who fears is the imagined self, the false self, the ego/mind. This creation is fiction, but we believe it as gospel.Losing the imagined idea of this ‘self’ is scary because we do not have any replacement we can ‘think’ of. Reality is, only ’nothing’ can replace it. We are not comfortable with that. Again, fear arises to keep us in place.

All this goes to show us that ‘perception of ‘self’ and ‘perception of reality hold hands together, being joined by fear. This is the ‘root’ of whom we ‘think’ we are. It is forever a slippery slope. And if it is ‘perceived’ fear, the slope gets more slippery.

Abiding with fear fearlessly is kinda oxymoronic because the threats of extinction are real. And they are real as far as the false self is concerned. When we abide fearlessly, effortlessly, we engage in the light of illuminating ‘self’ and Self. We gain a perspective that is not reactive and reptilian. We bypass fear as just another sign on the road of our travels. It is only a sign.

Fear is being used by the presidential candidates to secure the voter’s embrace. Fear of either candidate getting elected speaks to the high negative each major party candidate carries with them as baggage.The policies appear to all be second place. Even the third party candidates acknowledge their advantage of not having a high negative in terms of character (trust). This is dystopia.

“There is no nobler quality in the world than love. It is wisdom. It is righteousness. It is wealth. It is Truth.” – Sai Baba

Perception is reality. Question is, is our perception evidenced-based?

Even when using ‘mindfulness’ can we distinguish between being mindful of a part of reality we pick versus an aspect of reality that we see the mind picks?
Are we receptive enough to see how we pick? Is there a ‘push’ or a ‘pull’ that betrays a bias? Or is there an openness that allows an enfolding of the process of ’Seeing’ without any part of the ego/mind ‘pushing’ or ‘pulling’?

Not ’Seeing’ the mind and it’s bias is seeing partially. Despite live emotions of fear, greed, delusion, are we then further coopted by the mind to pick and choose versus the luxury of seeing it all? Any trace of pushing/pulling is evidence of compromise with the ego. Where is this pushing/pulling coming from? Not from the Space that defines letting and allowing. Space is space of enormous incalculable accommodation.

Perceived threats need to have a higher degree of examination than real in-your-face hard realities. More testing does not diminish reality. Rather a proper vetting is Reality. Conclusions do not have to be pushed into the hard and fast. There is plenty of time in the Now. The Now is fearless and beyond the vicissitudes of perennial change.

Chicago, in particular is in dystopia, moving the national murder rate upwards with its’ disproportional numbers. Where there is no trust by the police nor trust by the population, there is only fear left to rule the roost. To train in deescalation en masse, is to ignore the root of the dysfunctional behavior. That is, an institutionalized fear-based police department cannot be anything but dysfunctional. Like an overhead projector, we are layering training on top of root-based longstanding fear, thinking we can solve core issues, while overtly ignoring the sedimentary issues of fear and trust.

Escalation of unbridled reactivity will occur given irrational fears. Deescalation will naturally abide when the source of self is trust. Training will help those whose true nature is the harmony of trusting self. Hiring 1000 more cops does not improve core issues, especially given the clout-based personnel decisions that occur. Even rational fears of a dangerous job get undermined by the number of irrational perceptual fears.

Large-scale change requires significant
rethinking of how we structure ourselves and our institutions. We reflect our institutions based on what we honor in ourselves. To respond to the significant change demanded by the People, is to be authentic first with ourselves and have the courage to ’See’ more deeply, first with self and then in the institutions we create.

Let there be no doubt, we have created the chaos present and at the same time we have created the apparent need for solution to the dysfunction.

To choose viscerally and provide antiquated traditional solutions is to be conservative and very limited in approach to a real solution. Dystopia is not visceral. It is deep. It requires true bravery in doing something we have been resisting up to this point.

If we want to stop the meaningless loss of lives, then meaningful change in addressing fear and engendering trust must begin with us and then we can transfer this energy to our organizations and community.

At this point, perceptual fear is much greater than actual negative events that promote a more real response of fear. This is not to minimize any events.The outcomes hurt on all sides. Reactivity needs to be seen clearly so the ‘right thing’ can find a home in our hearts. This is the starting point of change.

Peace always.

This Iz Daddy’O