Not knowing
"Fear the Unknown? Illuminate it with Knowing!"
Introduction
Defining Not Knowing
For some people, it is easy to venture into experiences that are filled with unpredictabilities, such as attending a party filled with new faces, trying new foods that is beyond the familiarity of one's usual diet, going into a business venture, making risky investments, going to a new country, and so forth.
For others, going into unfamiliar experiences that is filled with unknowns can be a worrying experience. There will be some of us who will worry about "what will happen if I do this or that?" "Will I be ok?" Or, even imagining the worst that could happen.
In this article, we will explore the suffering states of mind that one can experience when one ventures into the Unknown, it's causes and ways to transform them.
Not Knowing In Depth
All of us fear the Unknown, some more than others. And what experience one fears will differ from one to another.
The fear of not Knowing can arise in moments when we are unable to predict or guess the outcome of the experience we are thinking of going into. As a result, the mind can fill the outcome with the worst that could happen. The more intense the fear, the more one will think the worst.
The fear of the unknown works in conjunction with other fears to create a miserable experience for The Self, in particular Doubt / Indecisiveness / Insecurity / Worry / Anxiety etc. Thus, the fear of Unknown is simply a fear manifested from the branches of other fears.
If we look deeper for the Cause, we will realize that the Fear of the Unknown is actually the fear of experiencing the uncomfortable sensations associated with the negativities that will arise and be triggered from within if one goes into such experiences.
For instance, the fear of speaking on a stage can be a fear of experiencing the sensations of being embarassed, and likewise the fear of bungee jumping can be interpreted as the fear of the painful sensations of losing the ability to be in control. These are just some examples of understanding the cause of this fear from another perspective.
So from this perspective, what we are really fearing is the discomfort of the suffering states of mind and the negative physical sensations that can be brought out by such experiences.
Later, we will look at the seed cause as to why these negativities of the mind are there in the first place. By transforming them, the unpleasant sensations will disappear and so will the fears.
Importance
Importance Of Addressing The Fear
The effects of fearing unpredictable situations is that it can limit our ability to accumulate new experiences in life. The discomfort we experience from the fears can make us avoid new experiences or engage in subjects that we are not familiar with. This can hold us back from creating new relationships with people and also learn new things about the world.
When was the last time you did something out of the norm?
When we have a fear of not knowing, it can also stimulate the mind to “imagine / fill the space” of the unknown with the worst things that could happen. This can be mentally draining and distort the Truth /Reality of one’s experiences.
Do you often imagine about the worst things that can happen in a situation?
When we run away from unfamiliar and uncomfortable experiences we are actually turning away from the opportunities to learn more about the cause of these unpleasant sensations, our fears. The unfamiliar and strange experiences in life are often precious in that they can bring out the hidden negativities that is buried deep within us into light for us to learn more about them.
When one fears the unknown, one can also end up filling their mind with a lot of book knowledge so that they can be prepared for any experiences they may face in life. Doing so can help with the fearful sensations, but with time one will realize that book knowledge can never transform the mind. There's nothing wrong with reading books. But when this the only way one uses to address their fears, much time can be wasted on reading too much books rather than spending it to accumulate new life experiences.
Path Of Creator
Not Knowing In Relation To The Path Of Creator
The journey will be one of Self-Discovery—of finding and transforming the seed cause of one's fears, which are the Negative Ideas, the Beliefs that one carries inside.
On the journey, one will realize that it is only natural to not know everything—anything could happen!—when we go towards new experiences because that's really what new experiences are about. We can never predict the outcome of any experiences.
By simply asking The Self, “What is the worst case scenario that I am fearing?” one will be able to gain insight of the negativities that is driving such a fear, then the belief that is generating such negative attitudes and reaction towards the experience.
At The Idea Level
As the Seed Cause to all forms of Sufferings will all recede to Negative Ideas—Ideas which promote the Rejection of The Self—to transform these Ideas will require one to develop the Acceptance Of The Self, in the direction towards oneself and others.
The fears relating to Not Knowing in particular are caused by the attachment we have to the Ideas of what is acceptable to The Self and what is not. When we have become attached to these kinds of ideas, we will fear that the things we cannot accept will happen; and also, we will fear that the things we want to happen will not happen.
To accelerate the journey of Self-Transformation will require one to develop the Knowing of what it is that one cannot accept.
Going towards experiences that one fears can be helpful as one can gain great insights from the Negative Reactions that one experiences.
But of course, doing such things can only be enlightening and transformative onlyif one proceeds into such experiences in gradual steps or with a grounded mind. If one dives into an expeirence that is too intense, one can simply end up reacting and learn nothing from the experience.
That is why the practice of meditation is so important. By using the practice to develop mental stability and stillness, one will be able to venture into one's fears with a clearer mind to study it.
Let us look at some of the Negative Ideas that can drive the Fear of Not Knowing. This can help you to understand more about how to discover the beliefs, the Negative Ideas that is causing your fears.
A Possible Negative Idea
"It is not ok to not know"
→I reject myself and others when I am/they do not know
→ There will be fear when I appear to not know because it is not ok.
When the mind becomes attached to such a declaration, The mind will tend to shy away from asking questions or avoid experiences when one cannot be absolutely sure of the outcome.
The journey of developing Self-Acceptance will be to transform the Negative Idea from "It is not ok to not know." -> "It is ok to not know."
The transition towards the positive declaration begins when one gradually realizes that to know the Truth of what an experience could bring, one has to go towards the experience. That is the only path towards the Truth.
Doing so can be quite enlightening. Because when one realizes that the outcome is “different” or “not as bad” as one had expected, The Self will realize that there is no need to fear the worst, or that the worst is actually not really that bad! Such experiences can be quite transformative.
The next step is to discover why one cannot simply Accept a particular outcome of an experience. I.e. why can one not accept all the possibilities in life? This will help one to uncover the many negative ideas hidden from within. Treasure troves of them!
So again, one can ask the following question on their journey of Self-Transformation to gain more insight—
"Why can I not accept the worst possible outcome?"
The journey is balanced through moving also towards the opposite declaration—
"It is ok to know."
Know and Transform The Self!
Reading articles helps with understanding, but to transform the mind, one realizes the truth from experience.
For such an enlightening journey, the Self-Transformation Course has everything you will ever need!
