PaulQ Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 After a pretty intense "Meditation" session, I have come to realize that I, and likely other humans, am primarily motivated by fear; that is to say, everything I do tends to be a fear-based reaction. I cover that fear with a veneer of "Confidence." The fear is something ugly that I was born with, and is a primary instinct. The veneer of confidence is learned from my parents and other social interactions. Religion offers a veneer of confidence with which people can cover their fears, which is why it's so difficult to give it up. Even if one is pretty sure there's no such thing as god, leaving it completely can leave one feeling "Exposed." This is what makes it so difficult. Clearly, religion plays on human fears, pumping those fears up even greater and offering itself as the veneer of confidence one needs to manage those fears. I am left rather disturbed knowing that fear continues to be my primary motivator, causing me to "React" to the world around me; tempered only by a veneer of confidence. I didn't like what I saw at all, but I know it was the truth. I explored other areas of my humanity as well, but I'll post about those later once I sort out my thoughts on those discoveries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Davka Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Sounds like you were dealing with one of the deepest levels of motivation. Fear, lust, and hunger are all pretty loud if we listen. Are you familiar with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs? He actually puts fear on tier 2, with basic survival instinct on tier 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulQ Posted June 11, 2009 Author Share Posted June 11, 2009 Sounds like you were dealing with one of the deepest levels of motivation. Fear, lust, and hunger are all pretty loud if we listen. Are you familiar with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs? He actually puts fear on tier 2, with basic survival instinct on tier 1. In my journey, I recognized that even survival was, in essence, fear. The fear of pain, suffering, and dying are the fundamental source of survival. The need of friendship, family, and intimacy come from the fear of rejection and the fear of being alone; which itself is based on the fear of being hurt by something from behind (together, friends tend to watch out for each other). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulQ Posted June 14, 2009 Author Share Posted June 14, 2009 I see fear as the basic instinct that is the cause of our consciousness. Our various sense organs capture and transmit various stimuli from the people and world around us; our fear reacts to it. Our consciousness and confidence are what develops between our instinctive fears and stimuli from our senses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Fear with a veneer of confidence? Hell yeah! It’s not paranoia if they’re actually out to get you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Davka Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 I see fear as the basic instinct that is the cause of our consciousness. Our various sense organs capture and transmit various stimuli from the people and world around us; our fear reacts to it. Our consciousness and confidence are what develops between our instinctive fears and stimuli from our senses. The discipline of mindfulness would say that it is possible to disengage from these primordial instincts, and to simply observe, detached. Although our fear may react to stimuli, we need not be ruled by those fears. IOW, we are not our fear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulQ Posted June 14, 2009 Author Share Posted June 14, 2009 The discipline of mindfulness would say that it is possible to disengage from these primordial instincts, and to simply observe, detached. Although our fear may react to stimuli, we need not be ruled by those fears. IOW, we are not our fear. I agree; we are not our fears. However, I am certain that our primal instinct of fear is the cause of our consciousness. When we overcome a fear with a layer of confidence, we build our consciousness; our selves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Davka Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 I agree; we are not our fears. However, I am certain that our primal instinct of fear is the cause of our consciousness. When we overcome a fear with a layer of confidence, we build our consciousness; our selves. Ah - OK, I get what you're saying. The ability to counteract the primal instinct of fear with rationalization, confidence, is the beginning of higher thought and human awareness. Is that what you mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ Fuego ♦ Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 That's interesting. I was just reading the first chapter of the book "Conversations with God" by Neale Donald Walsch, and it mentions this very concept. I don't have much to say about it since I just started reading, but it has some good insights into human nature and religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulQ Posted June 14, 2009 Author Share Posted June 14, 2009 I agree; we are not our fears. However, I am certain that our primal instinct of fear is the cause of our consciousness. When we overcome a fear with a layer of confidence, we build our consciousness; our selves. Ah - OK, I get what you're saying. The ability to counteract the primal instinct of fear with rationalization, confidence, is the beginning of higher thought and human awareness. Is that what you mean? Exactly. Fear is the underlying instinct which serves as the engine to that consciousness; that level of higher awareness. Much of this begins with what we learn from our mothers, fathers and/or caregivers. I tend to wonder if this is the reason why were a social species; that the increased level of social interaction helps us in overcoming our fears. The more fears we overcome, the more time our minds can commit to higher awareness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Davka Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 This would seem to imply that religion is a natural byproduct of human evolution. Since the deepest primordial fear is the fear of death, the awareness of our own mortality would have been paralyzing unless we were able to develop a coping mechanism. Life after death is the easiest workaround for the conscious mind. It would also seem to imply that, as we evolve into more rational beings, we would be more capable of handling the reality of our own eventual demise, simply accepting life for what it is. So atheists and agnostics can pat ourselves on the back for being a bit farther along the evolutionary path than the rest of humanity. They should catch up in another couple of millenia. Here's a question: is there any real basis for the veneer of confidence? If not, can we learn to discard both the fear and the confidence, and simply be OK with reality? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts