THE FEAR INSIDE WHEN THERE IS NOTHING TO HIDE

  Posted on by Kendall F. Person

  111 Comments

Fear Tree

“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.” –  Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Final Frontier by Ignorant Intelligence

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Why do we call the lion king of all beasts? It is not because he is the strongest. There are many animals in the wild kingdom, that would crush him, but they do not eat meat. It is not because he is the most ferocious. Polar bears and the great white shark would devour him. They simply do not exist on the same turf.  And by no means, is he the most deadly. Legend has it, that one sting from the box jellyfish, has its victims screaming, long after they have passed out. And the mantle for the most murderous, certainly belongs to man. But the lion: It is factual, once the former king is overthrown, the new ruler will kill all cubs of the vanquished leader – in cold blood, no less. But even this brutal form of infanticide is based upon reason. The females of the pride, become of heat, leading to an obsessive mating ritual, offering assurances of survival of the species, as the stronger lions’ genes are passed down.

Lions are king because they fear not a thing, and thus have no secrets to keep. When a coalition crosses the clearly marked barrier into a rival’s territory, every lion in the pride knows exactly what hell they bring.  A 2000 pound, full grown male buffalo either runs or stands his ground and prepares to fight, for a lion does not hide the fact he is hungry, and nor is he timid about announcing what he intends to eat.

No secrets. No lies. No skeletons hidden in the jungles, so to speak. And yet, in spite of constant warfare over territory and lineage; a never ending hunt for food, tormented by relentless droughts, and a ruthless rivalry with the laughing hyenas, the lion still rules.

 

The Fear Inside When There is Nothing Too Hide
by Kendall F. Person

Plato QuoteFurther up the food chain, in fact, at the very top, stands the homo sapiens, more commonly known as man. Minds so complex, we have no idea what we will think up next. Hearts so warm and caring, strangers will raise another man’s child, we call them step-parents. Family bonds so strong, love flows through bloodlines, enduring us to kin, that we have never laid eyes upon. Bravery within our soldiers. Nurturing are our mothers. Our teachers are sharing, volunteers are caring, spirits, daring and our bodies conquer mind-boggling feats.

We are not a perfect species, not by any stretch. While our minds snap and our hearts break. Our bones crack and bodies decay, but, as in the wild, nature must take its course and does not describe the imperfections of man. Imperfections are found deep within. Hidden inside closets that contain no key. It belongs to no evil force, because I believe, most humans are of goodwill. Nor is it the decay of society, since wars and societal differences are clearly defined in whichever history book we find most trusting. The root cause of dysfunction is the fear of shame.Fear Tree

Shame of losing our fortunes lead healthy, productive men to jump from skyscrapers. Shame of being hungry, so we steal, rather than ask our neighbor to break bread. And shame of our addictions, so we live in dysfunction, rather than seeking help. We tell lies about our bruises, for fear of what our neighbors will think. We create personas of who we are, because we are ashamed of who we be. We hide our sexuality and suffocate inside some closet, We purge documents, instead of admitting to our mistakes. We make false allegations to save face, and turn our back on the innocent, paying for our mistake, We cheat on our spouses, rather than work on an unhappy marriage. Then we take all of our secrets, and bury them real deep. Then turn our perceived shortcomings around, and judge others for not being perfect like me. Gossip in the tabloids, sales like hotcakes. Shock and awe is our reaction, but inside we know, our worlds are challenged with the exact same things.

There once walked a man – I speak only of my belief, no stones thrown or doubts cast at those of a different faith – who lived in a glass house. He held no secrets, and agenda was transparent. So secrets turned lies where concocted about Him. Sincerity in the non-belief or overpowered by their own secrets of shame, of which He can to release?

No reason to fear what is inside, for we have nothing more to hide… then thy neighbor..

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 Category: Essays/Prose, self, The Latest      Tags: , , , ,

111 Comments on “THE FEAR INSIDE WHEN THERE IS NOTHING TO HIDE”

  2. I would name the reason of our soul disease ‘weakness’. We are weak. If we were strong, we would overcome the fear. What’s more we are shortsighted. Comfort and peace are our beloved. We forget to forsee the consequences, which are that our closet becomes overfilled and a day comes that it’s difficult to close its door, but not only – we get lost in the junk inside. Laziness prevents us from clearing it, we stuff the heap, push the door shut with our hip, and try not to look inside anymore. We are peaceful now, forgetting what’s inside, not looking at it. The fear comes when somebody finds our secret key and opens the unlocked door – all the shit sees the light of the day then.

    We don’t realise that what is most comfortable and the simplest, is transparency.
    We ourselves complicate our own lives.

    By the way. My command of the language is limited – could you explain the phrase “We create personas of who we are, because we are afraid of who we be.”
    Thank you for following my blog, but I wonder what made you do it…:)

    Like

    • Thank you for adding your voice to this forum. It is always a wonderful thing when a visitor or new neighbor contributes to the discussion. I think if I use an example it would give you a clear understand of the phrase ‘We create personas of who we are….” In the movie Imitation of Life, the daughter of the main character was ashamed of her parent’s background, so she took on a completely new/false identity, but it did not change the fact of who she was. Her life became a secret always waiting to explode. >> You are not the first person to wonder why I followed you, and so…I actually answered the question in a post titled Dear thepublicblogger: Why did you follow my blog. Hope I have addressed your questions, even if I did not answer directly. Welcome to the neighborhood. So glad you are here.

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  7. That’s a great piece of writing. It’s all very true, and I don’t believe it could be any other. Reading behind the lines I’ve got an impression that you would like to change this order, but it seems too much rooted in our heads to move it. Great piece anyway.

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  8. Great post I will surely benefit from this Ken! And to quote Yoda, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” This is the gist to it all!

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    • Yoda…I love it. I often say that while I may present a topic, it is the discussion forum, where wisdom and imagination is found. Thank you for adding your voice and welcome to the neighborhood. you are needed here.

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  9. I might hazard a guess that our attraction to celebrity downfall and the like is comfort. Ten million people have said and ten million people will say “Misery loves company”, but such an adage makes us sound crueler, I think, than we really are. What we want is to feel less the bite of loneliness, and loneliness takes large bites.

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      • Me gusta el dicho espanol. I like the saying in Spanish. Still haven’t learned how to navigate around the world of blogs. Work and twitter take most of my time. I’m sure there’s much more to see. But, as Latins say: “Entre dicho y hecho, hay mucho trecho”. Asi es la vida.

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  11. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I love this post. Although we, as humans, are capable of so much I wish more people were as transparent as the lion 🙂 Looking forward to poking around your blog some more. Thanks 🙂

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  12. I love your description of mankind. I believe there is a basic tendency towards good if men are left alone to act on their instincts. It’s when men are raised in evil circumstances that they go against their natures..

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  13. You said a mouthful there, friend. Hiding within what we don’t want to self-acknowledge has become a sort of national pastime. The problem for the self is that everyone else can see what we refuse to acknowledge. That’s a whole story in itself and would need lots of space to fully explore that arena.

    Fear equates to pain and fear of discovery equates to great pain, even greater, in some ways, than physical pain, although of a different caliber.

    We all have skeletons hidden away in our proverbial closets, some lesser and some greater. However, whether or not the skeletons are acknowledged by our selfs (egos), they have an effect on us.

    Our bodies know everything and store away everything we’ve ever done, or thought, for that matter. People, including scientists, don’t give our bodies enough credit for everything they’re capable of doing.

    What’s even worse, as you’ve alluded to, is our universal inability to judge another person correctly. Why? Because of the beams in our eyes. The other person may only have a mote in his eyes, but our judgments reflect back upon ourselves.

    How we judge another is in reality how we see ourselves at a very deep level, even though that seeing may not have found its way up into our consciousnesses. Yet, those often hidden self-incriminations do find their way into our consciousnesses when we look at others and magnify their faults as we perceive them. It’s no wonder Jesus advises us that we shouldn’t judge another.

    The often forgotten bit from that famous verse is most often overlooked: “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”

    Why? Because we are guilty of the same thing we judge others of. That’s why it bothers us so much because deep, down inside, we know that we are guilty of these these and it’s easier to point the finger than it is to look inside. This is one big reason why there are so many unhappy people in the world, even among the Christians who profess to follow Jesus.

    The second half of the quote above defines karma, at least as I understand it, not necessarily the karma that the Hindus understand. But I’m good with that.

    Well, that’s enough preaching for today. I’m not even sure I made any sense, but there it is, in all its perceived glory for the world to see if they so desire.

    Have a peaceful and happy day. Man is that he might have joy.

    Again, thank you for following my f-stop fantasy blog.

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  16. “…they fear not a thing, and thus have no secrets to keep.” Love this. Oh to live… be… so unburdened. Thanks for taking a peek at my space. I’m sure glad I stopped by yours.

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  17. Pingback: the fear inside….when there is nothing to hide. | Am a work in progress

  22. First of all, thank you kindly for the follow; I’ve made sure to do the same in return. My initial glance let me to this post. I shall think upon it for a while.

    This simple sentence really jumped out at me: “The root cause of dysfunction is the fear of shame.” Perhaps more so than pride driving us to hide our own foibles is the fear of shame. As humans, I’d like to think we typically self-correct when embarrassments over our mistakes occurs. But shame – whether imposed by us on ourselves or cruelly cast upon us by others – is a powerful emotion.

    Personally, I’m not one for shaming others and am not big on being shamed…unless there is due cause and perhaps a morally shameful thing has occurred (I try not to do morally shameful things) ;-). But unfortunately, some people thrive on shaming others in order to make themselves feel superior – in my humble opinion.

    “Then we take all of our secrets, and bury them real deep.” Sometimes this may be out of pride, in other instances because of feeling ashamed.

    I’m reminded of the lyrics from Radiohead’s “Subterranean Homesick Alien” and of what it must be like for potential outer space creatures to observe the unique creatures that are human beings:

    “Up above
    Aliens hover
    Making home movies
    For the folks back home,

    Of all these weird creatures
    Who lock up their spirits,
    Drill holes in themselves
    And live for their secrets.”

    I appreciate the thought-provoking post. Cheers.

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  24. Hi Kendall,

    This is at once a powerful and brilliant post. Almost, as if in passing, you have shone the torchlight on really deep and incisive aspects of who we are , of ‘being’.

    What jumped out at me was this line, “We create personas of who we are, because we are ashamed of who we be.” This leads me to that important question, “If I am not that persona, who am I really?” As I wrestle with this, the following questions fleet through my mind.

    A. How did I become who I am, replete with my acquired persona and life sentence?
    B. How could I overturn my Life sentence and make the shift from the inauthentic persona
    to my authentic self?

    Cheers

    Shakti

    Like

  25. Wow, this really struck me. I for one had a difficult time in my childhood precisely because of shame and fear, most importantly because I could not accept the way that I was.

    I observed my surroundings and came to the conclusion that if I was going to be happy the best thing I could do is “become” part of those surroundings. Early on I think we all search for acceptance and so we run from our fears and hide them very far from ourselves. But as I’ve matured I’ve come to accept that being different, that thinking differently, and that people don’t always have to understand you is OK. Now I’ve made my difference my strength and have built bonds that are stronger than ever with people like me.

    Now I want want to forge my future with who I am, even in a career in my own interests. So here’s to people realizing the same thing that I have, being yourself and finding others alike is one the most freeing things you can do for yourself. Trust me, it’ll bring you that much closer to happiness.

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  27. :There once walked a man – I speak only of my belief, no stones thrown or doubts cast at those of a different faith – who lived in a glass house. He held no secrets, and agenda was transparent.”

    I loved this.

    Like

  32. While I was reading this I was reminded of Matthew 7:24-27 The Voice
    “Those people who are listening to Me, those people who hear what I say and live according to My teachings—you are like a wise man who built his house on a rock, on a firm foundation. When storms hit, rain pounded down and waters rose, levies broke and winds beat all the walls of that house. But the house did not fall because it was built upon rock. Those of you who are listening and do not hear—you are like a fool who builds a house on sand. When a storm comes to his house, what will happen? The rain will fall, the waters will rise, the wind will blow, and his house will collapse with a great crash.”

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  36. Your command of the English language is invigorating in a world where most no longer know the difference between you’re, your and “ur”. Thanks for the follow. I’m sure I will enjoy following you as well.

    Like

  39. Thanks for following and thanks for the awesome post! I like your thought processes.. And outlook. Yes, performance art! I shall visit your shows often!

    Like

    • The performances, the shows, the neighborhood only works because of people like you who receive the idea in the spirit in which it was conceived. Thank you for adding your voice, and welcome to the neighborhood.

      Like

  40. hey, thanks for following
    i will follow too
    greetings from germany marie

    Like

    • Welcome to the neighborhood. I am proud to say that a few of the earliest neighbors, and one that has become a good friend hail from Germany. I am humbled by the strong readership from neighbors and visitors alike, but truly grateful that thepublicblogger.com is being enjoyed by so many in your country. My pleasure to have become a part of your community and greetings from the USA

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  41. I hear you but is it shame or is it pride? To me the fear of shame is pride and it’s that which drives a lot of us as much as it’s the absence of that in the animal world that allows them to live or die without a whole mess of emotional entanglement. When the lion, previously the head of the pride, loses out to another, he doesn’t skulk away with the intent to hide his failure or inability, it’s there for the whole Serengeti to witness. I just had a funny thought though. Why do they call a clutch of lions a pride anyway. Oh well, that’s what I think but I hear you.

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    • And what you think holds equal validity as what I think. I always say that the post approaches the subject, but it is the discussion that takes place in the forum where the real education takes place. Thank you for adding your voice and for being a part of the neighborhood.

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  42. I think it’s shame that we try to avoid but pride that drives us. Man is never accepting of his or any other man’s basic human condition. Whether it be failures in business or marriage, we don’t accept them, work through them because of pride. Without pride, there is no shame. Once we accept our mistakes, we’re much more than OK.

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    • You and I have no never formally met, your our thought paths are the same. A demonstration of our similarities as opposed to showcasing our differences. Thank you for adding your voice to this forum. Your voice strengthens the voice in the neighborhood. ,

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  46. Brilliantly put … we do make our own make-believe worlds around us, and then take to be more real than a more basic, fundamental reality.

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    • and you returned simply to add to kindness wo the warmth of your initial comments. there is such beauty that surrounds, but headlines it rarely makes. but the neighborhood has built, and I pray it continues to rise, on the all-inclusive foundation of peace, sharing and respect that it has been graced with neighbors and visitors alike. Please forgive me, if I do not recognize your name right away. But I prefer to repeat then not say…Welcome to the neighborhood. So glad you found us.

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    • Good day, Quiall. Always so nice to hear from and see you in The Neighborhood. So very nice to see long term neighbors still enthusiast and taking part in the growth. You are appreciated, as are your kind words of this post.

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      • Wow! Your message is clear. We enjoyed your post. So many points to ponder. Thank you for your gift of words to the WordPress Community. May God bless and keep you.

        Like

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