Origin Of Fear

Have you ever asked yourself why the adults have more fears than the new born babies; in fact the new born babies may not have any fears. Well, that’s because a fear is a process we learn, as we grow up and learn our fear increases. Fear always springs from ignorance, everyone is afraid of something but maybe the new born babies are not afraid because they are ignorance but at the same time they have no knowledge meaning they are fully ignorant so there is no reason to fear.

We human start fearing anything because we are lacking knowledge about something we know about that thing. It works like this; if you are totally ignorant about something your fear is slighter than if you have little knowledge about something. If you have full knowledge about that thing there is no way you will be afraid since having fears is nothing more than a state of mind, a state where knowledge is absent.

For example if you are sure that you are alone in a closed dark room where there is no light but only darkness, if you felt something touched your back you might scream and your heartbeats rate increase dramatically because there is something happening in your mind, it’s creating assumptions, creating images or talking to yourself saying things like: “Who could that be!? Ohh this must be an ugly looking Ghost...etc” this triggers fear and since we were sure that no one was there, Fear increases.

Try the same test above with a new born baby, lock him in a dark closed room, if anything touches him he doesn’t cry or scream like we do, because he doesn’t have any knowledge about Ghosts or non-physical beings. Nor he knows anything about thieves and stalkers. He will be acting normally.

This is because we are ignorant and we do not believe that no one was there in the room and the fact no one can enter in a locked room. We have learned through the years about non-physical beings and if we were ignorant if they could hurt us or not this will allow assumptions to run wild in our mind giving birth to new fears. Thus to overcome this we have to learn and gain more knowledge about them. If we have knowledge that they can’t hurt us we will not be scared. Just like in winter we long for the warm sun light, the ignorant should long for knowledge.

The greatest barrier to overcome the fear we have is unwillingness to learn. The key to change our behaviors is to overcome fear and the key to overcome fear is Knowledge. Being ignorant is at least better than unwilling to learn and cover our ignorance with knowledge. There is a huge difference between someone born stupid and someone born smart but decided to be stupid. The first have excuse while the second only shame. Let me tell you this, there is nothing more afraid you should be when you are afraid than “Ignorance in action”. There is no way you will know the extent of your ignorance, However real knowledge is to at least reach the extent of your ignorance about something.

Many great thinkers around the world teach you that you have to do what you fear so you can overcome them, I admit it works but the reason it works not because we are brave. It originally works because we gained knowledge, we realized the assumptions and fear we had have no basis, we realized that being locked in a dark room didn’t hurt us so our mind built a believe that staying in that room doesn’t hurt, so the next time we try the fear is gone or at least lesser than before. However, there are things in the world we cannot try two or three times so we can overcome the fear like death, to overcome the fear of death I suggest you my friends to have more knowledge.

The more knowledge you have about the things you fear the less afraid you will be. To overcome all the causes of your fears like fear of death, loss, failure, being hurt, and so on, the more you need to know about Almighty God Allah. The greater knowledge you have about Allah the less scared you will be of his creations, once you know a little bit more about Allah you will realize nothing can hurt you without the permission of God. God doesn’t hurt humans he loves, whatever he do it’s for their best, the more closer you try to get to God by following his orders the more chances that he loves you. The more he loves you the more he will do good things for you. Once this knowledge is engraved in your mind there is no way you will be scared of anything except him Almighty God.

For Atheists or those who are worshipping non-perfect Gods or idols or status and images worshippers, fear will always be more than the fear of those who believe in one Almighty, Perfect, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds, the Eternal, Absolute; the Living, the Self-subsisting. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. He who knows what Before or After or Behind his creations, Who knows all things both secret and open the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace and Perfection, the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms the true God, Allah.

When ignorance is setting on the throne of our mind it will not never ever find peace nor will it bring an end to fears. Almighty Allah in the Holy Quran didn’t ask his Prophet to pray to increase his wealth, money or wives, the only thing Almighty God taught his Prophet to ask for more was knowledge, he said in the Glorious Quran:

((وَقُلْ رَبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا))

سورة طه الآية 114

but say, "O my Lord! advance me in knowledge."

The Holy Quran (20:114)

There is a popular saying “Nothing in life is to be feared It is only to be understood.” Once you understand how things works in this world your fears will dissolve. That’s why I keep repeating that ignorance is one of the most dangerous things that can only be deflected by one of the greatest human’s weapon, Knowledge. If the ignorance is the moonless night of the mind, the knowledge is the cloudless day of the mind.