Anger Is The Public Face of Fear

The thought behind the title of this post is nothing really new. Alcoholics Anonymous old-timers have told me that AA has a saying, “Scratch the surface of anger (or hate or resentment or irritation or frustration) and you will soon uncover fear.” Theologians teach us that fear is the opposite of faith. A Course In Miracles (ACIM) states in the introduction, “The opposite of love is fear.” ACIM also states that the Holy Spirit, however, sees only love and calls for love. Spirit understands that fear is not a reality; it is only a perception “seen” by our egos – remaining unseen by Him.

In light of all that has happened in the last 10 days – Minnesota, Baton Rouge, Dallas, and now Nice, France – the statement that anger is the public face of fear is very apt. However, I have to admit to myself, that it is very difficult for me to see a “call for love” in the act of an angry person or religious zealot killing people.

A decade ago, I learned about a major shift in perception that was beginning to take place. People were saying that we were moving into the Age of Aquarius – the start of a 2,300-year cycle that would be governed by energy of the Feminine. We are coming out of a similar cycle that had been under the influence of Masculine energy. For the past 2,300 years we have been under the influence of the Age of Pisces. It has been estimated that this shift will take 50 or so years (ending about 2040) to transition. As this occurs, I was told, the old masculine energy – to protect its power, prestige, and way of governance – will not go quietly into the night. The seething underbelly of this masculine competitive energy (win/lose, abundance/lack) is fear. It is the fear of being left behind, of losing economic security, of losing power and influence, of becoming societal detritus, of becoming obsolete.

Perhaps, this may mean we will be moving from an economy based on competition to one based on cooperation. Perhaps, it will mean we are transforming from being homo sapiens to being homo noeticus. Perhaps, it will mean moving away from a social structure of separateness (Us versus Them) to one of perceived Oneness. Perhaps, it will be all of this.

This shifting from Masculine to Feminine energy and its attendant disruption may very well be what we’re seeing:

• ·      ISIS and other fundamentalist Islamic groups making a last gasp effort to resurrect an out-dated image of literal Islamic rule;
• ·      White male society making a last gasp effort to hold onto power and influence through political maneuvering or through organized hate groups by encouraging voter suppression, excessive gerrymandering, hoarding profits at all costs, and demeaning all people of color as well as all those of sparse economic status;
• ·      Growing Protestant/Pentecostal extremism that has totally abandoned the Gospel of Love lived by Jesus for an Old Testament based biblical literalism that is almost indistinguishable from Islamic Sharia law – calling for the stoning, for example, of members of the LGBT community, abortion recipients/providers, prostitutes and other sexual “deviants,” and virtually treating all forms of poverty as if it were a sin to be condemned – the joining of capitalism, as an economic philosophy, with Christian ethics.

What do we do, then?

First we must ask God, genuinely, for a willingness to understand that the fear we think we see is merely our own fears being reflected back at us. It is always an “inside” job. We need to allow our inner light of peace, unity, and serenity to shine brightly in the midst of all this fear. We allow this light to shine by seeing ourselves in ALL of humanity – forgiving ourselves for our misperception and forgiving all those whom we have perceived as being hateful, bitter and wrong – the Others, the Enemy. Lastly, we need to remember, as ACIM teaches, each thought we have – no matter how tiny and fleeting nor how huge and seemingly permanent – is either contributing to our egoic perception of the reality of fear or to the True Reality of the Love of God, as we understand Him.

Once we are willing to change ourselves, the rest is up to God.

We need to be prepared to quell the morbid attention we pay to our own fearful thoughts. The attention I pay to my egoic thoughts is something I must acknowledge and ask for help to change. This is my responsibility alone. It is also yours.

As I’ve stated before, “I have to understand, on a visceral level, who the “Me” or “I” really is when I am speaking or thinking. The “I” that says to myself, “I really need a newer, more reliable car” is a different “I” than the one that says to my Holy Spirit, “I can’t do this anymore; help me perceive things the way You see them.”

Although these messages are mostly for me, thanks for listening to me and getting to know me – warts and all. As always, feel free to forward this message to your friends, family, and those accompanying you on your spiritual journey.

Don

#3 Jul 2016

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