Recognizing the world within you: Boldness vs Fear

“The wicked flee from nothing, but the righteous are as bold as a lion” — The Bible

I do not consider myself a “Christian” or associate myself with the negative mindsets many “Christians” have. However, the above quote serves as an indicator of the kind of human you are.

Getting to know the inner world:

This concept was vital to overcoming my “social anxiety” and is something I fall back on whenever I have feelings of self doubt. It is what a lot of spiritual teachers mean when they say:

“the answer is within” “look inside” “you are your own worst enemy” “take a look at yourself”

It’s not that there is an ACTUAL answer inside of you, suck as a textbook answer. Rather by observing yourself internally you can begin to notice a lot of your behaviors have a common pattern, thus providing a solution to the things you may not like about yourself. In this particular example, we’ll use social anxiety. ( a fear based disorder )

People who suffer from anxiety are prone to a lot of these characteristics:

-Shy

-Uncomfortable in new situations

-Can be inauthentic

-Nervous

-Unable to connect to people quickly

-Constantly in their heads

Not very lion like.

People who are bold are prone to these characteristics:

-Outgoing

-Comfortable in any situation

-Very authentic

-Calm

-Connects with everyone instantly

-Constantly present to the moment

In other words, a leader.

Fear based behaviors are avoidance at their core, and are essentially in the persons “head”, in reality there is NOTHING to be afraid of. However, through conditioning and years of bad habits the socially anxious person accepts that this is how they “are” or that something is fundamentally wrong with them, rather than objectively understanding the problem. Simply put, this person has chosen from a young age to “flee from nothing” in aspects of their life instead of “boldly facing everything” like a lion would, despite the odds. This is why men in our modern world are weak and passive, all their life choices are based off “avoiding discomfort or the unknown” rather than facing and overcoming their fears. Funny enough, the world rewards the bold with an abundance of opportunities and relationships. People with anxiety are looked down upon by those who deal with them day in and day out. I can’t remember the last time anyone wanted to go out of their way to make conversation with the office loner.

This goes along with the concept of “the hungry don’t get fed” or “the rich get richer, poor get poorer”.

Please note, I empathize heavily with you if you have SA, as I have dealt with that beast. It is a fear I must face every single day, I only improve at overcoming it with style and skill, much like a basketball player would dunking a basket over their opponent’s head. The fear never leaves, you only become desensitized to it.

Application:

The examples of how this could apply to your inner world are endless. You are usually operating out of fear or love. I always suggest to take the route of love, and by love I mean the “right” choice, as in the choice that will benefit everyone in your immediate surrounding. This is what a “righteous” person is, someone who habitually makes the right choice.

Every day you wake up, you make a choice. Going to work today? Yes, I need to take responsibility for myself and provide for myself.

(love based action; not being a burden on society or anyone else to supply your needs)

Versus

Complaining about not liking your job, but not taking action to do what you truly want to do. (fear based action; not taking responsibility to do what you want. Could be due not believing you truly can, being afraid of getting rejected, being afraid of the amount of effort it will take to do what you want.)

The application of being bold is difficult, and depending where you are internally will cause you to deal with many situations of your life much differently. Those who stick to the path of love and pureness will develop the outwardly characteristics of being a lion, but those who choose the path with least resistance, will not enjoy the perks of living on the edge.

Being bold means, expressing yourself without fear of consequence, making the right internal choices, never second guessing yourself, coming from a place of offering an experience rather than avoiding a fear.

*Love: Not a warm fuzzy feeling, but a conscious choice that has the best interest of those around you in mind.