Escape from fear

Escape from fear (fear of fear) — Luis Pisoni

(Estimated Reading Time: 4 min, 28 sec)

Escape from fear offers an illusory solution to a real problem.

Long before March 2020, COVID-19 was already in China.

Chinese are over 1 billion people + immigrants and travelers. Many of them had contacts with inhabitants outside of China. (6 billion people). And some of these other people (6 billion) had contacts with Chinese people, immigrants, and travelers returning from China. For long, experts warned of a pandemic. How many countries in the world have prepared themselves? People had to face heavy restrictions on their freedom. Could they prepare before? And in case of another wave, how many of us will prepare themselves? None or almost none, according to the book “The Power of Targeted Choices.”

The book tells another story in times of Saracens invasions.

Other environment and situation, same behavior.

“The Power of Targeted Choices” tells:

“… Many years ago, the inhabitants of one of the many villages overlooking the Mediterranean Sea lived in constant fear of the Saracen raids.

There had already been many of them, and people were tired and weary, as they sought escape and shelter in the surrounding hills – from where they would witness, terrified and helpless, the plundering of their homes.

However, for a long time then, the situation seemed calm. Hope and illusion were spreading in the village that the raids were over.

So, instead of preparing defenses, or an emergency plan for future raids, the villagers chose the more comfortable option of not thinking about any future danger, continually telling themselves that it was over.

They relaxed, without further worry of the pirates’ plundering.

Then one day, at dawn, the inhabitants heard the bells ringing again. They ran out of their houses and looked toward the sea. But the situation seemed calm; there was not a single ship to be seen. 

Escape from fear

They did not investigate further, preferring not to add to the momentary fear they had felt, and which had already so far led them to exasperation.

Instead, they resorted to a simpler and, above all, more reassuring solution:

“What is that idiot bell-ringer playing at? Is he playing some sick joke? He needs to be taught a lesson, so the rest of us can get some sleep; he’s clearly bored, with nothing else to do all day, besides ringing that bell!”

The more aggressive of the villagers ran to the church to give the bell-ringer the beating he “had coming”; he was to be punished for shattering the illusion of safety.

But…

They had instantly to flee! The pirates had arrived, and the villagers were now running as the plunderers gave chase. The pirates had landed their boats in a hidden cove and had climbed in among the shrubs without being spotted; only the bell-ringer had seen them because he was sleeping out in the open, at the top of the bell tower. Having suddenly woken with a strange premonition, he had glanced down and immediately verified his suspicions.”

A constant state of fear

“Fed up with living with the constant state of fear, the villagers had allowed themselves to be persuaded by their anger at the bell-ringer; it was easier to accept and to vent, suffocating the fear which might well have alerted and saved them. Blinded by anger over their impotence to act against the Saracens, they had overlooked the danger. Perhaps they were simply tired of constantly taking it into account?” 

“If fear can flow, and we manage it, it can warn us of danger. If, however, we entrust it to our mental part — to be fought against and suffocated — we will remove ourselves from the reality. Inhibited fear becomes destructive and self-destructive, and will turn into an inner mine, ready to explode the moment we strike it…”

(“The Power of Targeted Choices — 11 Simple Steps to Better Living”. Luis Pisoni and Aurora Mazzoldi, pages. 105-106)