Fear

I remember the last time I was really fearful. It was before Covid-19 hit the US, and all we knew about it was the footage coming out of China (this is before the epic toilet paper hoard....what does that say about us? lol smh). I was working away from home as per my usual, and still recall the conversation I had over the phone with my wife. I work in critical care, and respiratory illness is what I am best at. So I knew that it wouldn't be long before I had to deal with Covid. Based on what I saw in those videos I knew that I would definitely get exposed, so I could feel that fear coming on.

Fear isn't necessarily a bad thing

It can be, but if utilized correctly it is one of those instincts that is key to human survival. When I am walking through the woods, I am fearful of stepping on a poisonous snake, I am fearful of running across a wild sow who is ready to protect her offspring to the death. So I prepare myself beforehand, and then go enjoy my time in nature. A spirit of fear on the other hand is detrimental to our physical and mental health. This is not only a physical reality, but as a believer I know that God does not give man a spirit of fear. Being in a state of chronic fear, well I don't have to explain that do I? Just simply look around at the world we inhabit. It doesn't take much thought to realize that some people will use fear to control other people. This is evil.

Getting my affairs in order

I see death all of the time. Death doesn't frighten me, because of my familiarity with it. Death is the one thing you can count on in life. In fact there are fates much worse than death. Imagine being a brilliant man in his 50's loved and respected by his community for his tireless work in public education. One day life is normal, the next day you have a massive stroke that renders you unable to move anything but your eyelids and your diaphragm. Imagine being trapped in your body for years, unable to move so you stay covered in bedsores that cannot be healed. You are constantly septic, and you cannot even tell anyone what you would like to watch on tv. This is just one example of a fate worse than death, and many people have to live with such a fate.

I do however have a wife and kids, and seeing as though I was going to be in battle with an invisible enemy I had to be prepared. My wife and I discussed what the plan would be if I wound up in a hospital bed unable to breathe. We also decided that I would go to work, and she should stay home with the kids. No sense in both of us being in harms way. We made plans on how to quarantine in the event I became exposed, and even routines to decontaminate before I would enter the house after a day at work.

It wasn't long before I had to come face to face with the source of this fear, and then adjusted accordingly. In this way I was fortunate, as I did not have to live under a state of chronic fear for the next couple of years.

Look around you

How many of our fellow men and women are being ruled by fear? It isn't just related to viruses and disease. There is a concerted effort to make us fear each other. This isn't a controversial statement, this is fact. When you feel a sense of distrust of your fellow man coming on, make sure you try to analyze the source of the fear. Unfortunately fear makes people easy to control, and we can all be victims of it. One of the big lies that we have to face is that other people are our enemy. There are bad actors everywhere, but that doesn't mean that everyone who isn't you or someone who looks like you is a bad actor. The people who push this narrative are usually doing ok aren't they? They have money, influence, power, and a big seat at the table. Do you? Then the con should be quite easy to see at this point. Don't fall for it.

Faith Hope and Love

These are the good things in life, and I try to partake of them as often as I can. I am as imperfect a man in all of creation, but the more I live the better off I become. The world needs more of these things, desperately. It is our job to be the change that we want to see in the world, so lets do just that. Until next time, Jack.

The NFT featured in this piece is #51 from the Mars Woman Collection.