Fear is a Contagious Disease

Fear is a contagious disease. We infect one another regularly. Fear is one of the primary tools of the Domination System, what Paul calls the principalities and powers, or merely the world. Our faith can give us some immunity but be sure it’s not just denial we’re counting on! Stepping out of fear as much as we are able is work, and we are all hard-wired differently, so we need varieties of practices to use as we face it. We have never faced such a time of spiritual crisis in our lifetimes, and all the spiritual muscle we have developed over the years is required for us to use today.

We become what we focus on. In moments I feel like we are all sitting on a hillside watching a slow train wreck in process and it’s impossible to look away. We have to look away anyway. As we read news and listen to friends’ fears, our fear can grow exponentially. Fear is a vibration we can feel with one another, and we can bring one another down by rehearsing all the scary things. Fear shuts down awareness of possibilities. As fear grows, we feel smaller and more constricted and perceive ourselves as having far less agency and freedom of movement. It makes us vulnerable to manipulation, to deceit, and to other tools of the Domination System. It keeps us from seeing the things that can actually save us from it. We must name it when one of us starts going there. We must call one another out of it. The Domination System needs us to be terrified. Refuse to magnify it, to feed it, by focusing on it. Remember, feelings are just energy, and if we welcome them and don’t block them, they only last about 90 seconds.

Instead, focus on God and the things of God. Actively look for any glimmer of Light and Love we might find. Magnify that Light. Look for joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity, faithfulness, and self-control. Look for clarity and truth. Look for beauty and dignity. Look for humility and courage. These are all qualities of what we might call the Kin-dom of God, the Beloved Community, the New Creation, the Body of Christ, and however else we might name the reality for which we hope and dream. We have to practice looking. Ask for eyes to see and ears to hear Love and Light and Spirit’s presence—all day long if you need to. Share these glimmers of Light with one another instead of the scary bits. It takes an effort. This is part of the work we are all called to in this difficult time.

There is a difference between knowing we are afraid at any given moment and being in the clutch of fear. When we are in the clutch of fear, we almost never make a decision that is life-giving for ourselves or for others; decisions made in fear are ones we often regret, so getting out of fear’s grasp any way we can matters to all of us. If you can’t get out of fear for yourself, do it for your children or your parents or your friends. We all need to be making very clear-headed decisions these days as best we can. Find people who can listen us out of fear and into that clarity.

When we are in the clutch of fear, it may be difficult to pray. One simple thing we can do is to focus on our breathing for a period of time. Breathing into the abdomen, inhale gently through the nose for 5-6 seconds and exhale gently for 5-6 seconds. Keep going until something shifts in your body.

A counterintuitive practice is a Buddhist one called tonglen. Here we breathe in fear (or whatever we’re feeling) for all those experiencing the same thing and breathe out for them whatever we would hope for ourselves in fear’s place—peace, joy, courage, love, etc. One night this week I was awake in the wee hours with fear in the pit of my stomach. I started breathing it in for everyone else and breathing out a palpable sense of God’s peace and love for all. This link is to a guided meditation on tonglen for those wanting more direction with it.

I have always struggled with a fear of not having enough, probably inherited from Depression Era parents. One winter when we lived in the snowbelt, I was standing in front of the thermostat with many layers on wondering if I dared turn it up one more degree. I suddenly heard a strange question: “What do you need today that you don’t have?” The mortgage was paid, the utilities were all paid, we had plenty of food in the kitchen, the children had coats and shoes and other warm clothes that fit, the car was working, as was my husband, no one was sick. I couldn’t name one thing I lacked in that moment, except maybe trust, which was clearly being asked of me.

Asking what we need today that we don’t have can help modulate fear. You may have to modify the question to fit your situation. And yes, then follow with gratitude if possible. Some of us find gratitude easier than others of us. We are all called to offer it as much or as little as we can. Gratitude isn’t an easy one for me. I find myself sometimes simply thanking God for still being at work in this thick night that may be felt, whether I can see it or feel it or not. I thank God for presence and help, whether I can see it or feel it or not. Adding that “whether I can see it or feel it or not” is an affirmation of faith in the moment. We walk by faith, not by sight. Those who think faith is certainty have never walked by faith. We can’t afford certainties; we need all the willingness and ability to walk by faith that we can summon today.

I remember a long dark night of terror when I was alone with a screaming 4-month-old in a brick apartment in August with only the flimsy screen door locked against would-be intruders. In desperation I grabbed my Bible and memorized Psalm 23, saying it over and over. As my fear subsided, so did the screaming. Memorize lines of poetry or scripture or quotes that give you comfort or courage or faith. Say them over and over and over again.

George Fox wrote to Friends in prison in the 1600’s, “Sing and rejoice, ye children of the day and of the light; for the Lord is at work in this thick night of darkness that may be felt.” I find these words helpful through the day. So sing and rejoice, children of the day and of the light; for God is still at work in this thick night, whether we can see it or feel it or not. Look for it even so!