Excerpt taken from "Conversation With God" Book I, By Neale Donald Walsch:
"Every action taken by human beings is based in love or fear, not simply those dealing with relationships. Decisions affecting business, industry, politics, religion, the education of your young, the social agenda of your nations, the economic goals of your society, choices involving war, peace, attack, defense, aggression, submission; determinations to covet or give away, to save or to share, to unite or to divide--every single free choice you ever undertake arises out of one of the only two possible thoughts there are: a thought of love or a thought of fear.
Fear is the energy which contracts, closes down, draws in, runs, hides, hoards, harms.
Love is the energy which expands, opens up, sends out, stays, reveals, shares, heals.
Fear wraps our bodies in clothing, love allows us to stand naked. Fear clings to and clutches all that we have, love gives all that we have away. Fear holds close, love holds dear. Fear grasps, love lets go. Fear rankles, love soothes. Fear attacks, love amends.
Every human thought, word, or deed is based in one emotion or the other. You have no choice about this, because there is nothing else from which to choose. But you have free choice about which of these to select."
I would have said trust is the opposite of fear.
I know contentment is what happiness is and that the opposite of love isn't hate it's indifference but when I thought about the opposite of fear I just got the feeling that trust is the answer.
posted by Owly1
about 1 month ago
I have to say that in today's environment, greed is the opposite of fear. I worked in the business world for many years and the people at the top know no fear. They are ruthless individuals with stone cold hearts who will pick on the weakness of an individual. I once saw a business executive make a man's blood pressure go up so high, that he died of a heart attack on the way to the hospital. The executive called everyone back into the conference room and poured a round of drinks. The man had been standing in the way of the progress that the exectutive saw as being fit. So, he raised his glass and gave a toast: Here's to Progress!
In everyday life, many people have no fear. They have no emotion of any kind, just stone cold: "It's all about me!" attitudes. Very few people help the elderly get something down from the shelf or reach something in a freezer case. I was casually talking to an elderly woman a few weeks ago, who told me that I was the only one in WalMart she had seen in weeks who even smiled at her, let alone took a few minuted to talk. She said people will just put their head down when the approach one another. You are the exception with your trying to find a home for someone homeless. Our post office collects food for the food pantry every year, and the postman took our donation last year and was so greatful because we were the only ones in the entire neighborhood who donated food. There are many acts which cost nothing except a little kindness and maybe some time. And, I agree with Owly 1 to the extent that I feel love becomes happiness.
