If we feel fearful and overly worried, trying to understand where that fear is coming from might bring a clue that fear is ordering us how to act, and we have a knee-jerk reaction to situations without thinking.

For example, here in Japan, toilet rolls have disappeared from the shelves of the shops just because of a false rumour. This stems from a “fear that something we are convinced is absolutely necessary for one’s life might go missing”.

To complicate matters, the fear that things might disappear exists regardless of the item truly running short on stock or not.

Let me try to explain something.

My own body was created by the cell division that happened once the egg from my mother was fertilised. But that egg was created when my mother was in my grandmother’s womb. Therefore, my grandmother’s energy had a direct influence on the egg that was created in my mother’s ovaries. My grandmother had a difficult experience during WWII in times of scarcity. My mother also experienced war times when she was little. The imprint of the fear and struggle they experienced are inside my DNA. The grandmother or the great-grandmother of people younger than I am might also have experienced similar circumstances. That kind of deeply ingrained information does not disappear easily. We need to be regularly aware of them and examine them in detail, otherwise, as soon as we hear “toilet rolls will disappear from the shops” we will immediately and automatically think “I must get those toilet rolls before they disappear NOW”. It is not a surprise if those toilet rolls will disappear from the shops. Because those who buy them in a panic are unconsciously controlled by this kind of fear.

What is currently happening in society bring our fears in sharp relief.

Whether it is the fear to see things disappear, to see money disappear, to feel confused about what will happen next, the fear of becoming ill and dying, the fear of not being able to trust others (because one doesn’t believe in him/herself), when fear rises up to the surface, if one discerns the specificity of the fear, admit that it exists, and if we can understand the need for discernment, maybe we will not feel as if we are having a panic attack and we will be able to take it easy.

I am not at all belittling the disease here. Many people have contracted the disease and passed away. Of course, it is necessary to take “proper” precautions.

We are asked to use time in a way we are not accustomed to, as we may have more time on our hands with the schools closing, by changing to remote work, by having trips, parties, concerts and events cancelled. But in a way, this is an excellent opportunity to break old patterns. If we can be aware of our fears, we can find a way to overcome them. There must be a way to release our fears, using this outbreak and its consequences.