Fear is the Absence of Peace

At the funeral mass I attended the other night, the priest said something which set the tone for my reflections over the last few days. He asked us what we thought was the opposite of peace. Many said "War was the opposite of peace" while some said that chaos was the answer. But both answers proved to be wrong. I was shaken when he said that ultimately, the opposite of peace was FEAR. Fear of not knowing leads to chaos and disorder. Fear leads people to do things that would gravitate towards war.

Looking back at my own life, I have always been a fearful person. People close to me have said that my worst quality would be that I am a very paranoid person, always worrying about things. I suppose I always thought that my worrying over the littlest things is what would somehow bring order to my world. I was dead wrong.

People left and right have been telling me to let go. To stop being a control freak and to stop worrying what will happen if I stop worrying over the most trivial things. The world will not stop turning if I stop giving a damn about things.

My fears have been blocking peace from prevailing in my life. I know that now. I also am in the process of learning that I have to believe in people more and the abilities and strengths of those around me.

Ah life- what would I have become had I been stuck to what I always thought was right?