One of my favorite movies is "Defending Your Life." Albert Brooks' character, Daniel, dies when he steers his car into an oncoming bus. (It's funnier than it sounds.) Daniel wakes up in Judgment City, where the deceased go on trial. The goal: to determine if the recently deceased has sufficiently conquered his fears. If the answer is yes, he "moves on." If not, it's back to Earth for another try.Daniel's attorney, played by the hilarious Rip Torn, tells his client that a person on Earth uses such a small portion of his brain (around three percent) that most of life is devoted to dealing with fear. "Fear is like a giant fog," he says. "It sits on your brain and blocks everything -- real feelings, true happiness, real joy. They can't get through that fog. But you lift it, and buddy, you're in for the ride of your life."
That's one of the most useful quotes I've ever heard. I'm positive we would all live more fulfilling lives if not for fear. Stop for a second and count how many of your choices are influenced by fear. Not just the "big ticket" decisions, but the little ones, too.
Do you patronize the same restaurant or vacation spot because you fear you won't find another place as enjoyable? Do you pass off responsibility because you fear the consequences of making a poor decision? Have you ever given up on a dream or goal because you feared hard work may not pay off? Ever thought of asking someone out, but didn't because you were scared they might say no?
Now, I'm not saying fear isn't helpful sometimes. I fear bears. Therefore, I'm not going to climb into the bear exhibit at the zoo. So, fear can be good. But when we apply it to everything else, it's just a drag. And we all do it. Every single one of us. We make decisions on where to eat, how to dress, where to work, who to vote for, and a lot more, based largely on fear. We almost never realize we're doing it.
I'm as bad as anyone else. I watch that movie, see Daniel conquer his fear and end up with the girl (Meryl Streep) in the end. I focus, for a few days, on not allowing fear to unnecessarily influence my choices. But I drift back into living the way most of us do. I just wish we could teach ourselves to not let that happen, before we get to Judgment City.
