Case Scenario:
Let's say your entropy level is significantly low.
But... there is one situation strikes fear, a situation you can avoid

Should you just avoid this situation if you can help it?
Or would it be best to face it?

like, fear of heights or a phobia... both can be avoided, and one can learn to meditate, bring a state of peace in ones mind, and be loving, etc. It is also possible to face the fear and eventually get over it with enough effort. But is it necessary?

in other words, when facing your fears isn't mandatory, should you any way?

There will ALWAYS be situations where your fear (or phobia) comes up. Your fears will be MANIFESTED in your experience for you to face. You cannot avoid the issue, it can come up in many ways. Even if you meditate the fear will be a barrier to progress. If you become a recluse or hermit you can still dream the FEAR.

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LOVE is the answer

peace
patrick

Old phobias die hard.I recently had a panic attack on a glass elevator going to an observation deck.I knew it was irrational and I laughed when the feeling passed and it hit home that sometimes an old pattern casts a strong shadow.I was taken quite by surprise but I'm glad it happened because otherwise I would have been smugly convinced that I was past that point. You don't seem to be under any delusions about this fear.You might try intending strongly to get assistance in the dream state to get it addressed.Many of my most memorable dreams involved fear scenarios.Is the nature of this fear mostly physical or something going on in your thoughts?

In answer to your question, I feel compelled to chip away at any fear because they are limiting and may be used as a handle by others for control.

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Shut up and meditate

A few things to consider in this:

We are essentially part IUOC and part human (PMR unit). The me that is "Justin" is a unique expression of my IUOC within the confines of this PMR unit. Think of Tom's example of the VR multi-player games. One character in the game might be sluggish and slower than the other characters. When I play the VR game as that character it does not mean that I (Justin) am also sluggish and slow. The way in which I handle the sluggishness and slowness of that character is an expression of the Justin that is playing the game. Somebody else will play that same character in a totally different way. The more experience we have with the specific traits of that character, the more efficiently we will be able to move around the VR and accomplish the goals of that game.

Now consider phobias, addiction, tempers, depression, disease, etc, etc. We can choose to incarnate into a PMR unit that will be predisposed to having a temper for example (based on probabilities within the genetic make up of the PMR unit and potential social environment). How well we handle the challenges of being in that PMR unit is an expression of our IUOC. That being said, I do not think that all such challenges are a result of the PMR unit. We are still an expression of our IUOC and proceed based on the decisions that are available to us in our decision space. We may be using a tall and fast character in the multi-player VR game example, but because of our limited experience end up moving around like the slow and sluggish character. We (our personality, personal challenges, etc) are a mixture of the expression of our IUOC, the PMR unit and rules, and the randomness within the PMR rule set.

This brings light to the fact that while there is a universal right and wrong based on the evolution of all-that-is, there is also a relative right and wrong in relation to each of us. The question of should somebody directly face their fear of heights is relative to that person. It might be good for person A, while bad for person B. That is where doing our best comes into play. We make the best choice that we can and move forward. It may or may not have been the best choice, but we take the results and then again to our best. This is analogous to learning how to play one of the characters of the multi-player VR game. It takes practice, practice, practice ... and then later we play the the fast and tall character... then the character that can jump very far... then the character that has to roll on wheels... and on and on. The way to know the best choice is to choose (to the best of our current understanding) that which will move us closer to love. All of the mistakes and struggling that occur along the way is the point.

That is my limited take on it.

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-"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find... you get what you need"

willmeister,

facing or not is your choice only. Ask yourself: do you really wish to face this particular fear? Would you be able to handle all unexpected lessons, which might come up as a result of this step? Is it the the right time to do so?

If you could not solve this problem this lifetime, you will be back here so many times more to reduce your entropy. Do your best, that's it.

Lena

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'Real knowledge is to know the extent of ones ignorance.' Confucius.

pgtrue,

Yeah, I'm wondering if I can even run from my fear now. Sometimes, when I analyse a situation I notice that growth is inevitable, whether I man up or run away.

For example: It's like, if I face a situation, I'll be faced with insecurity. If I avoid it, I have to deal with the fear of loss. Carefully analysed, though I have free will, growth/challenges seem to be inevitable. If I run from one fear, I inadvertently face a fear of a different kind.

Simba,

You just brought up an interesting point with your example. I'm wondering... just because we aren't in a "state" of fear, doesn't mean that the fear is "gone." In that case, it might be best to face our fears and chip away at it, because even though our fears aren't currently being "triggered," they might still be there, "dormant."


Justin,

I'm watching "My Dinner With Andre" right now, and the main themes correlate to some of what you're saying, how they talk about being an "actor" n such. But yeah, I see what you're saying. In video games, sometimes my friends and I will challenge ourselves by choosing the disadvantaged character, and playing him well, as testament to our skill. I suppose the same can be said with ourselves, if we are disadvantaged in any way, we can do our best, and who knows, maybe succeed with this character.

Lena,

So basically what you're saying is to take on what I can handle, nice! Truth is, if I take on my big fears, I know I can get over it, but it will be a battle. I want to be productive here in PMR, but I also don't want to experience the suffering often involved in growth, even if it is temporary. But that's immature on my part, because if ever I can't handle it, I'm skilled enough to meditate and "stabilize" myself. From there I can move forward.

Thanks all!

We all experience fear in one form or another. But the extent that we identify with the ego (or little "me" personality) will magnify the levels of fear. The level of our "selfishness" is also an indicator of how much we identify with "EGO".

So where fear is a product of selfishness. LOVE is a product of self-LESS-ness (courage is a byproduct of LOVE)

The illusion of separateness reinforces our ego and fear levels. Once we understand the underlying UNITY of all things, and begin to overcome the illusion of separateness the universe seems like much more of a friendly place, and much less of a hostile environment.





http://www.thefriendlyuniverse.com/

But Einstein is also the source of one of my alltime favorite quotes. This statement was a roadsign on MY path towards the truth. The underlying UNITY of all things.

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LOVE is the answer

peace
patrick

I think a lot of fear comes from being challenged at living comfortably with uncertainty. There is a saying on a T-Shirt ad in front of me this second, seems pertinent. "Statistics means never having to say you're certain" which I would edit replacing stats with Probability.
Love
Bette

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All That Is
what is?
Consciousness.

What situation is it? If you can avoid the fear and confronting it serves no purpose, then avoid it. If there is a good purpose to confronting the fear, then you should confront it. No?

I think reducing egoic fear has more to do with internals than externals. Not all fear is egoic. Avoiding unnecessary pain and avoiding certain death require some degree of fear, otherwise you would not react appropriately.

Hi Advaita and welcome to Tom's MBT discussion forums. :)
Love to you and yours,
Bette

_________________
All That Is
what is?
Consciousness.

Glad to be here, thank you.