8) FEAR
What happened:
Although I had become absolutely convinced by a thorough demonstration
how safe a parachute is, I experienced fear anyway.
Abstract:
Fear does not rule me. I do not suppress or ignore fear. The way I
handle fear is by being afraid and acting anyway
Observation:
As I was waiting for the airplane to attain sufficient altitude for
skydiving, a sharp prickle of fear, emanating from a wholly primal
source, began to pervade my entire body. In the face of that fear,
coming up automatically and with astonishing speed, I began to doubt all
the rational and sensible observations I had made which had already
convinced me that the equipment works, and that skydiving is really as
safe as driving a car.
Conclusions:
That doubt, coming from fear or any other upsetting emotion, is what I
use to stop myself from making happen what I said is going to happen. It
lends credence to a justification which makes breaking my word alright.
Because we regard fear as something that we have to deal with, we
do not just let it be and it becomes empowered to stop us. The
appropriate way to deal with fear is to be with it, to choose to
experience it, and to be afraid. You let fear be and it lets you be. In
the context of skydiving, you are afraid and you jump. Fear goeswith
skydiving.