Most of the inaction I bear has been due to fear. Fear of reprimand and fear of violence in particular.
I’m reading a lot of lefty stuff (old posts, old articles, hoping I can make my way to books) and it seems like my biggest hurdle to becoming a proper leftist will be removing myself of these fears, if I ever want to do anything productive.
But fuck, fear is just so prevalent in my life. It could be my trauma, my privilege or literally anything else I’m not aware of. Whatever the cause, I don’t like it, it’s made me a worse person, and I wanna get rid of it.
Seeing as most of you are good about this, I want to hear about how you stopped letting fear and (social/physical) self-preservation control you.
It’s more a state of awareness and way of thinking than something you would experience (though the relaxation and calm may feel that way).
Ever had a long train of thought that kind of takes on a life of it’s own? You think of one thing that reminds you of another thing which reminds you of another thing and so on?
Meditation helps build an awareness to all these thoughts, giving you more control (so to speak) of what your mind is focused on. You become aware of these runaway thoughts and are able to stop them before the chain begins. These thoughts often can influence your mood as well, so it helps with mood regulation.
This mental awareness can be applied elsewhere as well. Being acutely aware of the positioning and movement of your body. Being acutely aware of your surroundings. This, in turn, allows you to make corrective actions if necessary, or avoid being distracted.
That’s what I’ve gotten out of it anyway. Hope this helps.