This is http://www.essayz.com/a9509112.htm Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay Click HERE on this line to find essays via Your-Key-Words. {Most frequent wordstarts of each essay will be put here.} ========================================================== %REAL LOVE THREATS FEARS DANGERS RISKS EVIL OTHERS+950911 %OBJECTIVE REFLEXIVE REALITIES CONFUSION PROJECTION 950911 What is it that I fear? It is not clear just what it is that I fear, for I am confused. In any case what I fear must be a real threat to me which comes to me from outside of me---for it makes no sense for me to believe that I fear what I have made and projected out there where what I fear is. I must confirm that what I fear is really out there. The way to confirm that what I fear is really out there is to get other people to share my fear; to agree that what I fear is out there, to fear what I fear. I will share with others my fears; help them to come to fear what I fear. If they do not readily fear what I fear, I will threaten them in ways which will lead them to fear as I fear. Then we can be together in fear. I know no other way of being together, so I will seek to be together with others in fear. Some say that love casts out fear. That sounds very terrible, for fear is all that am familiar with which can bring me together with others---in fear. It sounds to me like love will cast out my only means to being together with others, in fear. If love can cast out fear, love is to be feared more than any other power. Love must be out there---threatening my only means to being together with others. Love makes people do risky things. Love makes people become vulnerable and insecure. I must defend myself against the threats of Love to cast my fear out of me, and out of those who are together with me in my fear. Love threatens to deprive me of my friends in fear. I must help others to fear the dangers of falling in love without adequate defenses against all that threatens me and threatens those who are together with me in fear. Falling in love is an unknown danger which I must keep others from being victimized by; for if I fail, they will abandon me and leave me isolated and alone with my fears --- without any proof that my fears are well grounded in external threats to me. I must use all means available to me to make sure that other people are together with me in my fears. There is no other way to be together with other people. I must not be left alone with my fears. Some people say that God is Love. If God is Love and Love casts out fear, God must be out to get me, to rob me of my fears which are all that keeps me any my friends together. I cannot trust God. God is like my father who punished me unjustly. I always feared my father's punishments which left me confused. It was never clear just what the punishments were good for. What good did they do? Who were they good for? My father punished me for making mistakes. What good did his punishments do? In churches they call upon God as if he were Father. How terrible it must be to have an omnipotent, omniscient Father who is always ready to punish you for your mistakes! Only fools will go into a church where they say that God is like my father. In church they say that God the Father made everything and everybody. No wonder everything and everybody are so threatening and screwed up! The only comfort I have ever gotten is the comfort of those who share my fears with me. What wonderful friends they are! (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================