<p>A recently joined member of the toastmasters club realised that his <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/fear">fear</a> of addressing an audience did not go away despite his several attempts at it. So when he stood to speak again he said “fear is my friend. It never leaves me.” He said that in a lighter vain but if you ponder over it you will realise how true that statement is. Fear is not only his friend but a friend of all of us. Every sports person and every performer knows the benefit of the nervous energy and fear they feel in bringing out the best in them. Fear is inbuilt in us only for our benefit. </p>.<p>Fear protects us from physical harm by checking us from plunging into unnecessary risks which can kill or cripple us by injury or disease. It is the lack of fear of the dreadful consequences which is making so many of us get into bad habits which medical science and studies have established beyond any doubt how detrimental it is to our health and wellbeing. </p>.<p>Here it is pertinent to understand that we must go beyond just our physical wellbeing and look towards our eternal wellbeing. That is by fearing the consequences of our moral decay by which our souls get diseased. The effects of which are felt in this life and beyond because our souls outlive us. as our scriptures constantly remind us. </p>.The virtue of patience.<p class="bodytext">From the Islamic stand point the Quran reminds us to fear a day - the day of judgement – wherein every soul will be recompensed for all it has done. In the words of the Quran “So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.” If good then good if bad then bad which is nothing but bliss or torment. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Nevertheless, like in so many of our affairs, we tend to loose balance and we confuse between rational and irrational fears like phobias and other imaginary fears. This becomes the cause of all our miseries as it manifests in myriad psychological problems. When this happens fear is not our friend anymore but in fact becomes our real enemy. Therefore we must constantly be on our guard lest we take our enemy to be our friend. </p>
<p>A recently joined member of the toastmasters club realised that his <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/fear">fear</a> of addressing an audience did not go away despite his several attempts at it. So when he stood to speak again he said “fear is my friend. It never leaves me.” He said that in a lighter vain but if you ponder over it you will realise how true that statement is. Fear is not only his friend but a friend of all of us. Every sports person and every performer knows the benefit of the nervous energy and fear they feel in bringing out the best in them. Fear is inbuilt in us only for our benefit. </p>.<p>Fear protects us from physical harm by checking us from plunging into unnecessary risks which can kill or cripple us by injury or disease. It is the lack of fear of the dreadful consequences which is making so many of us get into bad habits which medical science and studies have established beyond any doubt how detrimental it is to our health and wellbeing. </p>.<p>Here it is pertinent to understand that we must go beyond just our physical wellbeing and look towards our eternal wellbeing. That is by fearing the consequences of our moral decay by which our souls get diseased. The effects of which are felt in this life and beyond because our souls outlive us. as our scriptures constantly remind us. </p>.The virtue of patience.<p class="bodytext">From the Islamic stand point the Quran reminds us to fear a day - the day of judgement – wherein every soul will be recompensed for all it has done. In the words of the Quran “So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.” If good then good if bad then bad which is nothing but bliss or torment. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Nevertheless, like in so many of our affairs, we tend to loose balance and we confuse between rational and irrational fears like phobias and other imaginary fears. This becomes the cause of all our miseries as it manifests in myriad psychological problems. When this happens fear is not our friend anymore but in fact becomes our real enemy. Therefore we must constantly be on our guard lest we take our enemy to be our friend. </p>
