Five Things We Might Be Afraid Of

“In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.40)

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नेहाभिक्रम-नाशो ऽस्ति
प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते
स्व्-अल्पम् अप्य् अस्य धर्मस्य
त्रायते महतो भयात्

nehābhikrama-nāśo 'sti
pratyavāyo na vidyate
sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya
trāyate mahato bhayāt

1. Our party losing the election

“We have made so much progress in recent years. It is no time to reverse course. The establishment settles into their positions of power. I’m not talking about only elected officials. These are the appointed, who ensure a particular type of government remains long after the representatives and leaders have gone.

“It seems that the more they fail, the higher up they go. Promotions for years of service, not for job performance. They make these wild predictions that never come true. They consider massive forced unemployment to be an inconvenience, when to the people affected the result is devastating.

“At least with the latest leader we are reversing the trend. The administrative class has lost some of its power. We can’t allow the other side to take over the government again. They will surely try. I am afraid of cheating and fraud in the upcoming election.

“The latest tactic is ballot harvesting. After getting the final tally on election night, the local officials see how many votes they need to reverse the outcome. Then they go digging through ballots that weren’t accepted the first time around. Perhaps the voter didn’t have proper identification. Maybe they weren’t registered. A lot of times they are no longer living! Now the officials, using their discretion which is really bias, try to find votes. This is another way of cheating and I am afraid for our country.”

2. Losing my job

“This latest forced lockdown from the government has not affected me directly. I am still getting paid the same. I still have my job. But who knows how long that will last? Economics is intricate and interwoven. People have no idea how many forces voluntarily join together to produce something as basic as a pencil.

“You can’t just put so many people within the supply chain out of work and expect nothing bad to result. Who knows if many of these stores will ever open again? Things are okay now, but today is no guarantee of tomorrow.”

3. Not being able to fall asleep

“The pressure is a little much. If I could just relax, there wouldn’t be issues. But so much to worry over in the upcoming days. I need to fall asleep, and soon. Otherwise, I will be too tired to function. This seems to be a daily occurrence. I wish I could sleep peacefully like I did in my youth. I know I am not the only person suffering from this.”

4. Getting caught in bad weather

“Three hours. That is how long it took me to reach home the last time there was a snowstorm. The commute typically takes around thirty minutes. People just don’t move on the road when there is the slightest hint of snow. You can’t beat the traffic. Yelling and screaming will not help. I worry about the future, as I have an upcoming trip and the forecast does not look good.”

5. Getting caught in a pandemic

“Normally, I remain level-headed. From basic common sense and personal experience, I am pretty certain that viruses are all around us. Every person carries them to some degree. It is not like we only catch seasonal illnesses because of being around other people. You can’t help that, in fact. We can’t all just live in a cave or a log cabin in the woods.

“But this time the fear has gotten to me a little bit. They say this virus is more deadly and contagious. The news highlights the symptoms and the dreadful experience that can result. Sure, likely more than ninety-nine percent of the people end up completely fine, but I don’t want to be in the category that suffers.”

…

Bhagavad-gita recommends yoga. Link the individual soul with the Supreme Soul. Make this the primary focus, the top priority on a daily basis. Not something to be practiced for only fifteen minutes a day, try to remain always linked to the Divine consciousness.

Your typical day might involve sitting in an office and staring at a computer screen. It could be as fearful and hectic as firing arrows at attacking enemies on a battlefield. The same yoga can exist and persist in either situation.

One of the benefits of this endeavor is that it protects against bhayat. This is fear, and the degree can be as high as can be considered. That fear which cripples my ability to work and think properly – yoga can help.

This is the promise of Shri Krishna, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is on the other side of the link. Yoga is for connecting with Him. In other endeavors, failure amounts to a futile effort. You have to try again from the starting point. With yoga there is nothing lost, and while protected from the greatest fear a person can enjoy the bliss of association with the Supreme Lord.

In Closing:

Of so many things afraid,

Like too long locked up stayed.

Or my job eventually to lose,

That virus my body to choose.

But yoga offering protection,

With link in Divine direction.

So that even if success not to see,

Benefitted in process to be.