We all have different fears. Like fear of darkness, of height, of loosing someone. In modern times it’s fear of AI taking over our Jobs.
But if you look deeper every fear is just a branch of the same root – the fear of death. Anything that threatens our survival – physical, financial or social – triggers that ancient alarm.
Fear creates stress and anxiety. It can lead to sleepless nights. When we live in fear, we stop taking risks. And in doing so, we never reach our true potential.
This isnt a new phenomenon. Adi Shankara looked at this thousands of years ago and realized that fear is due to a mistake in identity.
We feel fragile because we identify with things that are fragile. We tie our “Self” to our bodies, our jobs and our reputations.
Since all of those things are guaranteed to change or disappear, we live in a state of permanent defense.
The solution isn’t to try and make the world “safe” – it’s to realize who is actually living in it.
Shankara’s core teaching is that you are not the body that ages or the mind that worries. You are the Eternal Witness.
In his books he says that you are the “Atman” – the consciousness that remains unchanged while the world shifts around it.
In his famous words:
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham (I am the form of Bliss and Consciousness, I am Shiva).
Once you stop identifying with the “temporary” and start resting in the “eternal” the grip of fear loosens.
You realize that while the “movie” of your life might be a thriller, the “screen” (You) can never be harmed.
When the knowledge of who you truly are dawns, fear doesn’t just fade — it disappears.
Vedik Mind 