Fear is a defensive wall I raise against possible future events I deem unacceptable.
This freezes me in the moment just before or precisely as the event happens.
Rather, one should mentally let the thing happen.
If one does this mindlessly, passively, one simply experiences the impact of each element in the unfurling chain of consequences. The scenario repeats over and over with no resolution and no progress. The situation becomes toxified, and all that is required is a remote associative reminder for the entire firecracker to be set off.
If one does this mindfully, actively, one can accept each element as it comes along, and, once one gets to the end of the chain, everything has been accepted. It may happen. What of it? What is it to me? My material life is subject to innumerable forces. My internal life, however, can remain entirely intact. There is nothing to fear here or in the hereafter.
As soon as I give everything permission to happen, it ceases to be fearful. Once I've scenario-planned, nothing can surprise me. Once I've taken all envisageable precautions, I can let go.
(Littlefinger:) Every possible series of events is happening all at once. Live that way and nothing will surprise you. Everything that happens will be something that you’ve seen before. (Game of Thrones)
Do you know why Michiel de Ruyter brilliantly won three maritime battles against the English, even though he had fewer resources and less money? He would undertake scenario planning. He engaged as little as possible in predictions but instead prepared himself carefully for circumstances that could arise. In mock battles, mariners were drilled in responding to sudden changes in weather, for instance the development of thick fog or a change in wind direction. If those circumstances arose during the battle, the English were taken entirely unawares, whilst De Ruyter's fleet knew exactly what to do. (Martien van Winden, Het Financieele Dagblad (Dutch newspaper), 29 March 2008)