Losing Fear along the Way

Success is as dangerous as failure. Hope is as hollow as fear.
What does it mean that success is as dangerous as failure?
Whether you go up the ladder or down it, your position is shaky.
When you stand with your two feet on the ground,
you will always keep your balance.

What does it mean that hope is as hollow as fear?
Hope and fear are both phantoms that arise from thinking of the self.
When we don’t see the self as self, what do we have to fear?
See the world as your self. Have faith in the way things are.
Love the world as your self; then you can care for all things.
(Tao Te Ching)

I remember existential fear. It was perhaps what started my spiritual path in the first place. I was concerned with my place in society. I rooted for the successes, and hated the failures. It is not that I have lost my ego; I rather doubt that. Instead, I have come to realize the wisdom of the Way. Failures and losses help us understand the idols we were rooting for. ‘Successes’ are often understood very differently by us spiritual travelers than by the society’s live in. Our life story may or may not speak to others, yet we have faith in our story and are unfazed by life’s so perceived ups and downs.


I do not share the upbeat view of our spiritual community that we only have happiness and the flow to look forward to. Not in my experience at least. Letting go of outgrown patterns is hard work. Seeing prior idols fall—like knowledge, status or physical attractiveness—isn’t fun either, but it is replaced by understanding of what is really going on. On a bad day we feel like we are going to the dentist. It is annoying but before we know it, the session is over and we forget all about it. Gone are the days when mistakes, faux-pas or failures stay with us for years.


Hope is meaningless because we don’t lose sleep over the future. Fear is non-existent because our journey is explained to us every step of the Way. I can’t promise you that all your dreams will come true just because I don’t know whether your dreams and expectations will survive the test of time. What I can promise you is that along your spiritual journey all fear will dissipate. You will like the story the Way is writing for you. You will get a feel for your story non-withstanding all so-perceived ups and downs. You own your story, you understand it and you will be proud of it.