Fear in the Face of Natural Disaster

We recently survived two natural disasters together. (Remember, we had an earthquake several days before that hurricane.) Natural disasters highlight our powerlessness, which makes them exhilarating and terrifying.

I have lived in California, where there are earthquakes, and North Carolina, which is home to tornadoes, as well as in Florida, which has an entire season when hurricanes are likely to take place. In each of those places, representatives of the media went out of their way to impress upon the public what colossal disasters were just around the corner, on their way, or were presently crushing us. Of course, I understand that it's their job to make certain that we are aware of the risks inherent in extraordinary circumstances. It's just that pretty frequently, representatives of the media make an act as simple as riding the bus seem to be an irresponsible act; one which is fraught with danger, in addition to being borderline impossible.

While we are fortunate to have the media as a vector to pass along information, I think it's important for us to unplug the message from the emotions. It's the emotions that get us into trouble.

Most of us are perfectly willing to move into fear when an authoritative source--in this case, the media--tells us to do so. The fear is intended to make us easier to manipulate. Sometimes this is good. For example, if we need to purchase supplies or complete an action step, it's good that we're spurred into action. Fear does that. (But this is not so good in other kinds of relationships, such as an employee-employer relationship. More on this in another article.)

The problem is that the emotions outlast the actions that we invest in. Long after we have gone to the grocery store, the hardware store, the craft store, and all the other places we need to go and buy supplies--after that, when we are in our safe places, the fear continues to move in us...continues to control us.

It's important for us to find ways to come back to ourselves, and reclaim control of our actions. Of course, control is illusory. We all understand that. But we can step forward and willingly take charge of that which we can control.

In the same manner, we can choose to live in something other than fear. I had an acquaintance once who explained the emotion to me as False Evidence Appearing Real. When fear is the lens that we're seeing through, it makes everything look murky and distorted. Choosing to let go of the fear is choosing to live fully in the present moment, to accept the emotion as part of the background noise, while we come to a new understanding that fear may be present, but it is not important.

Our consciousness is the important element. Our thoughts, decisions, our actions are our gift and our responsibility. These are also the tools that can we can use to shape our lives and our experience. This is powerful stuff, and fear robs us of our ability to command the fullness of it. When we step away from the fear and into our current ability to take action, we are making a difference.

Whether the thing that's about to fall on our heads is the roof or just a little bit of rain, it's helpful if we remember to keep it in perspective. The universe is a massive place, but the gift is that we are given is the chance to make choices that will allow us to shape our tiny corner of it. We can only do that if we choose--willingly and whole-heartedly--to step away from the fear, into the fullness and possibilities that life holds.