Walking Pilgrim 8: Fear
There's not much to be afraid of in everyday life in Japan. Consider our ancestors, who had to survive animal attacks, disease, and the day to day struggle for food. On some level such fears remain, however, in our subconscious. These fears mostly make us feel like we need more money. Money is insurance against disease and lack of food (but wouldn't be able to help us in the case of an animal attack!).
Fear nowadays can be entertainment, as is the case with horror movies. It's a bit of a rush, perhaps a mental connection to our ancestral past that makes us enjoy horror movies. Well, I don't really enjoy them, but can in some cases, like The Silence of the Lambs. Real fear, however, is not pleasant. There's a very narrow stretch of road leading the AIU, where I teach. There's barely enough room for two cars, let alone my car and a truck. Everyday as I drive to work I wonder if I'm going to get crushed by an oversized truck. On some level there is fear, and the deepest reason is, I don't wanna die!
Fear nowadays can be entertainment, as is the case with horror movies. It's a bit of a rush, perhaps a mental connection to our ancestral past that makes us enjoy horror movies. Well, I don't really enjoy them, but can in some cases, like The Silence of the Lambs. Real fear, however, is not pleasant. There's a very narrow stretch of road leading the AIU, where I teach. There's barely enough room for two cars, let alone my car and a truck. Everyday as I drive to work I wonder if I'm going to get crushed by an oversized truck. On some level there is fear, and the deepest reason is, I don't wanna die!
1 Comments:
At 11:31 PM,
giant said…
Saki,
Did you really write that at 3:41am? Not a good time to think about death! I like your grandmother's quote. It seems to mean, 'don't worry about death. You'll die when you're ready.' Although it's not exactly true--we never will feel ready to die--it's a good attitude to have. I think a lot about death. That's *the* big question. You know, when the Buddha left his palace, he saw a funeral, and couldn't stop thinking about death. That was a major motivation for him to become a spiritual seeker. On the one hand, we shouldn't worry about death, or be obessed with it, but it's valuable to come to terms with it (learn to accept it). It is scary, because I love life! So every day I want to be joyous and appreciate being alive, because it's so sweet...
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