Occasionally I suffer from the tiniest touch of apocalyptic fear. Occasionally others around me suffer from the same, tiniest touch of apocalyptic fear. It's just about possible that there might be a person or two suffering from just this fear right now. With that in mind, here is my fear inventory of the day, per page 68 of the book 'Alcoholics Anonymous'.
CURRENT INVENTORY
I am frightened of
- A gradual (or not so gradual) slide into global fascism
- War
- The gradual (or not so gradual) disintegration of Western civilisation
- The dawning of an age of brutality and barbarism
- The destruction of all good and beauty in the world
- The destruction of humanity itself
- The destruction of life on the planet
- The extinction of many species
- The destruction of natural habitats
- The assets and achievements of mankind being wiped out and forgotten
- Destruction on such a scale that material advancement can never again be achieved because surface minerals have largely been used
Why am I frightened of these things?
- Physical, emotional, spiritual pain
- Seeing the physical, emotional, or spiritual pain of others
- Loss of hope for myself, humanity, and life on the planet
- Sense of futility of myself and humanity
God, please remove the fear.
What would God have me be, think, and do?
- Humble: I am not a soothsayer, fortune-teller, or prophet and cannot see the future.
- Humble: I cannot fix the world but I can be a force in the lives of people around me.
- Humble: existence and goodness represent purpose in themselves.
- Remember that eternity lies in the moment.
- Be grateful for what I currently have and for what the world has achieved in the past and in the present.
- Remember the billions of good people on the planet.
- Pray for the peace of others.
- Pray that we can all play our role in God's plan for humanity.
- Connect spiritually and in our hearts with all others, whether or not they are seeking God, whether or not they know they are seeking God.
- Ask God for His will for me on all levels: practically, intellectually, spiritually.
- Keep my eyes on the present and the work of the day OR keep my eyes on eternity.
- Examine the past or the future only in order to devise the work of the day under the direction of God.
- Be active and resourceful and, in between, rest in God.
- Decorate my life with natural and man-made beauty in whatsoever form.
- Do not engage in cynicism, doom-mongering, gloom, despondency, negativity, fear, reproach, grievance, or unnecessary criticism, even when true.
- Remember that there are four hundred billion stars in the galaxy, and one hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe: there is beauty and the potential for life in endless variation: even if the story on earth ends, the story is not over.
- Human consciousness in its manifest form is not the alpha and omega: whatever we come from cannot be destroyed by us any more than the implosion of a snow globe destroys the Person holding it, Who created it.
- Remember that God is constantly active in every human heart and that we can affect the hearts of those around us through our own good acts and silent peace.
- Be comfortable in not knowing.
- Instead: rest in the palm of God.