Fear came to town this week in a very obvious way! A five kilometre steel fence in the Sydney CBD a stark reminder that when fear is the pervasive paradigm, there are few choices but to manage, protect and defend. A false sense of security if ever there was one!
The jangly energy in this city is palpable. People are feeling frustrated, angry, annoyed, fed-up and more than a little anxious. Grid-locked traffic and “exclusion” zones all contribute to the mounting tension. Driving around today, I was struck by how many police are out and about – in cars, on roadways, on bridges, atop buildings, on the harbour and in the air - their intention to “guard” and “protect” – to help us all feel safe. Interestingly (and more to the point, obviously!) it’s not working. The very things that have been put in place in the name of “security” are having the opposite effect. People are feeling more and more stressed as our fear manifests in angry outbursts, frustration on the roads and in our cars, impatience with people and things that are not going how we think they should and making ourselves sick.
So what do we do?
Well, the first thing to become aware of is that we cannot resolve the paradigm of fear from within a paradigm of fear! Putting up more and more barriers, pushing and resisting and focusing on “trying to change” the external reality will never deliver lasting peace. What’s needed is a change of context, a paradigm shift from fear to love.
If you really want to live in peace, you need to be willing to go deep within yourself and allow the essential love that is you to lead the way. To remember who you really are and to consciously (mindfully) choose to be who you are moment by moment, irrespective of whatever is occurring outside of you. This does not mean denying or ignoring your external world and it does mean to centre yourself in love (who you really are) while making choices about how to respond.
When fear comes to town choose greet it with love and watch what happens.
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"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."
Marianne Williamson
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1 comment:
s rare for me to respond to newsetters which arrive in my inbox - but I do feel drawn to respond to When Fear Comes to Town.
Perhaps you are unaware that not everyone in Sydney has the same point of view as you on APEC security.
In my opinion, Sydney media - desperate to have anything at all of value to report on - over dramatised the matter of security in relation to the Conference - and especially in relation to our famous 'wall'. (I'm sure that APEC hardly rated a mention in international press).
I was in the city, I was not on alert ...... nor was I alarmed! Was I inconvenienced - a little - did I care? - not - not a fig!
Did the high police presence intimidate or 'scare' me? Nope - not a scrap.
The barricades were erected to ensure smooth, uninterrupted progress of APEC (the profits of which to Australia are massive - the deal with China alone over $45 billion!).
Surely this was a tiny price for the well fed citizens of this town to pay in the knowing that it would support Australia's economic growth in a major way.
Neither the helicopters, nor the barricade, nor the heavy police presence made me feel 'safe' because in fact I never felt afraid.
I cannot believe that you seriously believed the much fanned line that the people of Sydney were 'afraid' - what a lot of codswallop!
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