It is painful to see how human beings consume energy uselessly by preoccupying themselves with events and realities they cannot change.
Every preoccupation is connectedness through fear or desire.
In order to develop harmonious interpersonal relations, we need calm and peace. And that peace is frequently threatened by events taking place around us. In that case, a person remains fixed or bound to an event. That event causes feelings of disturbance which, in turn, give rise to compulsive reactions in the presence of other members of the community.
We need peace to be able to love, and two things rob us of our peace: resistance and adherence.
Resistance is an energy released against something or someone. In fear, two emotions reactive and opposed to each other, can be present simultaneously: adherence and resistance. By way of example, let us suppose that I am going to be removed from my post. I feel that I am resisting the eventual move because, in me, there is a deep emotional tie to my present position. It must be pointed out that fear is an energy unleashed in order to defend an interest which one feels is being threatened.
Adherence is an emotional bond between a person and another person or between a person and a thing. Adherence is almost always un-conscious. Every time there is fear, sadness, envy, anxiety, agitation, anguish or resentment, it is because -without realizing it- there is some connectedness to persons or events of the past, present or future through rejection or appropriation. If we are mentally detached, consciously or voluntarily, we will be able to eliminate these symptoms which I have just mentioned.
We need to be alert. In order to do this, we must develop the habit of taking into consideration those emotional bonds which have been established through conditioned and reflexive mechanisms. We should develop the habit of detecting these bonds and severing them with an act of will.
This would be an excellent purifying therapy. With that, the person would feel free, achieve peace, and enter into harmonious relationships with others. Nevertheless, to understand is not enough. Exercise is necessary. Patience is needed. The ways of freedom (in order to love) are narrow and long. One needs Hope as a companion.
Lord, there are clouds on the horizon and the sea is in a fury.
I am frightened! Fear paralyzes my blood. Invisible hands pull me back,
I have no courage!
A flock of dark birds is crossing the firmament. What is this?
My God, tell my soul “I am your Victory.”
Repeat within me: “Do not fear, I am with you.”
Extracted from the book Come with me by Fr. Ignacio Larrañaga
