Does fear really play an important role in our life? Is fear a gift or a sin?

Fear does influence our life in a big way for it governs how we feel, behave and react in situations given the specific circumstances that give rise to fear inside us. Fear makes us suspicious, creates anxiety, leads to worries and it ultimately takes away our peace of mind.rnFew of the most common things or situations that one fears of: •Fear of being disliked and shunnedrn•Fear of being rejected and ignoredrn•Fear of being lonely and excludedrn•Fear of being hurt and hurting othersrn•Fear of being judged and ridiculedrn•Fear to do things like public speaking, etc. •Fear of dealing with our own personal inadequacies •Fear of people who we dislike or have an adverse feeling for •Fear of snakes, rats, bugs, reptiles, etc. •Fear of a confined or dark spacern•Fear of change •Fear of death Is fear a gift or a sin? rnFear is neither a gift nor a sin, it is an emotion one experiences based on one’s opinion for the object one is fearful of. And it can be conquered by having the correct knowledge and tools to do so. Fear is a result of our own contemptrnFear could be for a person, an animal or insect, a situation or a particular circumstance, but it is always for something or someone we do not like, that we genuinely detest. Our contempt itself is the source of our fear. Dislike results in scorn, scorn gives rise to fearrnFor example, it is late night and you are extremely sleepy. Just then, you see a snake enter your bedroom. Now, would you feel sleepy? No! You will be frightened and anxious until you ensure that the snake is driven out of the room at any cost, won’t you? It is because you have a strong dislike towards the snake. Similarly, when you dislike some person, you will see many mistakes or negative points of that person. This constant faultfinding leads to scorn, which in turn leads to fear. You will experience fear interacting with that person and the moment you see that person, sensation of suffocation and uneasiness happens. All this is a result of our own scorn for that person. So, we all tend to be afraid of those or that which we dislike intensely. In order to break free from this feeling of contempt, one has to keep asking for forgiveness for harnessing this feeling of contempt. The other person or living being may not even be aware of it; yet you continue asking for forgiveness from within.rnHre are some of the other things you can also do to overcome fear: •Acknowledge to yourself that you are afraid. •Gain a clear idea of what specifically you are afraid of and why? •Identify all the emotions associated with your fear, like sadness, anxiousness or being scared. •Recognise how fear holds you back from living your life. •Confide in someone you trust and tell them how you feel. It really helps to talk things through and share your emotions. •Sometimes it helps to challenge fearful thoughts. •Meditaiton on your breathing when you are overwhelmed with fear. •Remember God when fear strikes you and will experience a peace of mind. The ultimate solution to resolve fearrnParam Pujya Dadashri, founder of Akram Vignan, the spiritual science that reveals the sptepless path to Self-realization says, “One experiences fear to whatever degree he believes himself to be temporary. 'I am Chandubhai ( you may insert your own name here)*' is a temporary state. When one believes he is Chandubhai, he will be subject to fear. However, with the awareness that, 'I am Pure Soul, nothing can happen to Me for I am eternal', what is there to fear?” So what is the core reason for fear? rnYou consider yourself as temporary. Fear vanishes with the vision of 'I am the eternal Self'! By attaining Self-Realization, you will be able to get to the source of the problem within you and uproot the core aspects of fear. For more details, you may visit https://www.dadabhagwan.org/path-to-happiness/spiritual-science/ways-to-overcome-fear/free-from-all-fears-with-self-realization/