Was listening to the radio from Ireland earlier this evening. It is striking to note how economic uncertainty generates fear, and this fear can cause so much turmoil. It shows us how much we like the illusion of knowing where we are going  and get so anxious when we realize that so many things are outside our control. At times like this we can see people feeling  unprepared and scared in what they see as a harsh and hostile world.

Cetainly, when times are difficult it is only natural  to feel sorrow, fear, despair, confusion, discouragement, and so on. It is however, striking to note how quickly we move to think that something is wrong with us. We seem to think that it is our right to feel that things should go well for us, and that if we start to feel depressed, lonely, or inadequate, that something has gone wrong with the plan for our lives. True, it is natural to have  fears that arise from time to time in response to real situations. However what we notice is that an underlying presence of fear is often in the background  throughout our days and that seems to be something that we simply have to work with. We cannot turn to outside distractions to bail us out. Each day a lot of our time is often simply concerned with dealing with this presence. Our practice teaches us one way : to sit with these feelings and to see them, like other mental events, as passing through the mind, and stop them before they develop into the full-blown fear that makes practice difficult. We try to stay with the felt experience in our bodies, and separate that from the storylines which so easily arise. I know this in theory, and can do it today becaue the economic siutuation in Ireland does not affect me  as I no longer live there. However, in other matters, closer to home, I do not find it as easy. I get hooked too easily in the storyline and identify with it, believing its “truths” about me and my lack of strength, and get uncertain about my direction and my goals.

Fear spreads; it is our constant companion. It seems to be the default position of our minds. Our practice is essentially how to work with it and continually soften out hearts in the face of it. Wisdom comes from accepting that good times happen and bad times happen. We try to be present no matter what.

We cannot be in the present moment and run our story lines at the same time. Impermanence becomes vivid in the present moment; so do compassion and wonder and courage. And so does fear. In fact, anyone who stands on the edge of the unknown, fully in the present, without a reference point, experiences some fear. That’s when our understanding goes deeper, when we find that the present moment can be completely unnerving and completely tender at the same time.

Pema Chodron, Comfortable with Uncertainty