This year’s recollection of the “Sept. 11th events” have shown – in spite of various public ceremonies and press releases – that the memory of this major and impressive catastrophe is generally fading and receding into the past, as other unnumbered disasters in man’s history.
Seeing most people having returned their focus on daily life, their personal needs and cares, current economical and political developments even, from that striking “day of remembrance”, we may very well ask: “what is left of Sept. 11th?” What was its true message?” “What is its real and lasting “impact”?” “What has actually “changed” after Sept. 11th?”
In the immediate aftermath of the disaster we have observed an outburst, an inferno of emotional reactions: grief, sorrow, helplessness, leading up to anger and hatred, nourished by some “logical”, some eccentric mental speculations about the “true agents, the true mastermind of this plot”. For some time the world, many nations, larger and smaller communities and even families were passionately divided into “believers in the American fight against terrorism for the sake of mankind” and “believers in the U.S. threatening individual and collective freedom as well as world peace”.
Although this discussion has gained some additional momentum during the Iraq crisis, the emotional implacability, the importance given to this topic has been constantly fading and has now found its proper place and “size” within the individual as well as the collective.
So, in the end, could “Sept. 11th” be considered just one of many disasters – of wars, earthquakes, famines, terror – just leaving a temporary stamp on humanity because of its striking spectacular nature? Should we just drop it in our dusty and moth-eaten archives of man’s history? What will be left of Sept. 11th in 10, in 20 years? Why did it happen at all and what was its “intention”?
Perhaps the answer has many dimensions, but one of them may be reduced to one simple word: “fear” – a fear that has been implanted in the heart, that is running through the veins of every individual and collective body independent from their nature, habits, emotional or intellectual development.
In ordinary people, living their daily life in Western society we observe the fear of the obvious possibility to lose one’s life any minute even in the most “secure places”, the fear of “different looking persons” being suspected as a potential threat “carrying a knife under their jacket”; the fear of everything that is unfamiliar, strange, unknown, that does not find its place within the borders of their limited mental, social and religious understanding – including different cultures, including all kind of spirituality.
Some “intellectual people” have cultivated their fear of the “great conspiracy”, the U.S. reaching out for the domination of the world pretending a threat that in reality does not exist, emotionally joining the side of all those individuals, nations and religions living in fear of being linked and identified with terrorist activities, with the “axis of evil” and thus facing the wrath of a superior super-power.
Without going into details it is easy to imagine the potentially disastrous long-term consequences in case this fear is not conquered or at least “counter-acted”. In the long run, Sept. 11th is not about the “threat of terrorism”, it is not about “American hegemony”, it is about “fear” and the actions arising from that fear. Fear does not fade with the event evoking it, the root lives on while the tree sheds its leaves.
What is fear in its very nature and where does it come from?
In his Letters on Yoga, Sri Aurobindo explains: “There is no fear in the higher Nature. Fear is a creation of the vital plane, an instinct of ignorance, a sense of danger with a violent vital reaction that replaces and usually prevents or distorts the intelligence of things. It might almost be considered as an invention of the hostile forces.” ….. “Fear creates imaginary terrors – even if there is a real danger, fear does not help; it clouds the intelligence, takes away presence of mind and prevents one seeing the right thing to do.”
Or in the words of the Mother:
“Fear is an impurity, one of the greatest impurities, one of those which come most directly from the anti-divine forces which want to destroy the divine action on earth.”
In this light, the events of “Sept 11th” may seem to be truly discouraging. They have indeed “clouded the intelligence, taken away presence of mind and preventing man from seeing the right thing to do”. It seems that the hostile forces successfully intervened to create division, to nourish fear, to hamper the spiritual progress of mankind. How could such a thing happen in a world that has been developing slowly but constantly towards a mutual understanding and harmony? Why did it happen, why this “setback”?
The answer may be that it was not a “setback” at all. “Sept 11th” forced a ray of light, forced consciousness on a vehemently neglected and carefully hidden, but nevertheless most important individual and collective aspect that has to be transformed as part of the yoga of the earth. The constant and harshly resisting denial of man to face “fear”, to disclose it to the light that it may now be dissolved might have called for the shocking vehemence of the disaster – now, however, with the images fading the fundamental question remains:
How do we deal with, how do we remove fear?
“By bringing down strength and calm into the lower vital. Also by will and imposing calm on the system when fear arises.”
and
“You should throw away fear as well as anger and go quietly on your way putting your confidence in the Mother”
(Sri Aurobindo “Letters on Yoga”)
The Mother has said: “One of the great remedies for conquering fear is to face boldly what one fears. You are put face to face with the danger you fear and you fear it no longer. The fear disappears. From the yogic point of view of discipline, this is the cure recommended.”
May be that “Sept 11th” forced mankind to do exactly this: face boldly what it fears…..
The time has come for mankind to deal with and finally get rid of “fear”. This is a great opportunity and a Divine Grace.
A World Astir
This year’s recollection of the “Sept. 11th events” have shown – in spite of various public ceremonies and press releases – that the memory of this major and impressive catastrophe is generally fading and receding into the past, as other unnumbered disasters in man’s history.
Seeing most people having returned their focus on daily life, their personal needs and cares, current economical and political developments even on that striking “day of remembrance”, we may very well ask: “what is left of Sept. 11th?” What was its true message?” “What is its real and lasting “impact”?” “What has actually “changed” after Sept. 11th?”
In the immediate aftermath of the disaster we have observed an outburst, an inferno of emotional reactions: grief, sorrow, helplessness, leading up to anger and hatred, nourished by some “logical”, some eccentric mental speculations about the “true agents, the true mastermind of this plot”. For some time the world, many nations, larger and smaller communities and even families were passionately divided into “believers in the American fight against terrorism for the sake of mankind” and “believers in the U.S. threatening individual and collective freedom as well as world peace”.
Although this discussion has gained some additional momentum during the Iraq crisis, the emotional implacability, the importance given to this topic has been constantly fading and has now found to its proper place and “size” within the individual as well as the collective.
So, in the end, could “Sept. 11th” be considered to be just one of many disasters – of wars, earthquakes, famines, terror – just leaving a temporary stamp on humanity because of its striking spectacular nature? Should we just drop it in our dusty and moth-eaten archives of man’s history? What will be left of Sept. 11th in 10, in 20 years? Why did it happen at all and what was its “intention”?
Perhaps the answer has many dimensions, but one of them may be reduced to one simple word: “fear” – a fear that has been implanted in the heart, that is running through the veins of every individual and collective body independent from their nature, habits, emotional or intellectual development.
In ordinary people, living their daily life in Western society we observe the fear of the obvious possibility to lose one’s life any minute even in the most “secure places”, the fear of “different looking persons” being suspected as a potential threat “carrying a knife under their jacket”; the fear of everything that is unfamiliar, strange, unknown, that does not find its place within the borders of their limited mental, social and religious understanding – including different cultures, including all kind of spirituality.
Some “intellectual people” have cultivated their fear of the “great conspiracy”, the U.S. reaching out for the domination of the world pretending a threat that in reality does not exist, emotionally joining the side of all those individuals, nations and religions living in fear of being linked and identified with terrorist activities, with the “axis of evil” and thus facing the wrath of a superior super-power.
Without going into details it is easy to imagine the potentially disastrous long-term consequences in case this fear is not conquered or at least “counter-acted”. In the long run, Sept. 11th is not about the “threat of terrorism”, it is not about “American hegemony”, it is about “fear” and the actions arising from that fear. Fear does not fade with the event evoking it, the root lives on while the tree sheds its leaves.
What is fear in its very nature and where does it come from?
In his Letters on Yoga, Sri Aurobindo explains: “There is no fear in the higher Nature. Fear is a creation of the vital plane, an instinct of ignorance, a sense of danger with a violent vital reaction that replaces and usually prevents or distorts the intelligence of things. It might almost be considered as an invention of the hostile forces.” ….. “Fear creates imaginary terrors – even if there is a real danger, fear does not help; it clouds the intelligence, takes away presence of mind and prevents one seeing the right thing to do.”
Or in the words of the Mother:
“Fear is an impurity, one of the greatest impurities, one of those which come most directly from the anti-divine forces which want to destroy the divine action on earth.”
In this light, the events of “Sept 11th” may seem to be truly discouraging. They have indeed “clouded the intelligence, taken away presence of mind and preventing man from seeing the right thing to do”. It seems that the hostile forces successfully intervened to create division, to nourish fear, to hamper the spiritual progress of mankind.
How could such a thing happen in a world that has been developing slowly but constantly towards a mutual understanding and harmony? Why did it happen, why this “setback”?
The answer may be that it was not a “setback” at all. “Sept 11th” forced a ray of light, forced consciousness on a vehemently neglected and carefully hidden, but nevertheless most important individual and collective aspect that has to be transformed as part of the yoga of the earth. The constant and harshly resisting denial of man to face “fear”, to disclose it to the light that it may now be dissolved might have called for the shocking vehemence of the disaster – now, however, with the images fading the fundamental question remains:
How do we deal with, how do we remove fear?
“By bringing down strength and calm into the lower vital. Also by will and imposing calm on the system when fear arises.”
and
“You should throw away fear as well as anger and go quietly on your way putting your confidence in the Mother”
(Sri Aurobindo “Letters on Yoga”)
The Mother has said: “One of the great remedies for conquering fear is to face boldly what one fears. You are put face to face with the danger you fear and you fear it no longer. The fear disappears. From the yogic point of view of discipline, this is the cure recommended.”
May be that “Sept 11th” forced mankind to do exactly this: face boldly what it fears…..
The time has come for mankind to deal with and finally get rid of “fear”. This is a great opportunity and a Divine Grace.
Georg Stollenwerk
(Georg Stollenwerk is from Germany. His work has taken him to all parts of Germany and to many countries outside and also given him the opportunity to watch at close quarters the evolving political, economic and social situation. Being a spiritual seeker he attempts here to look at these from a deeper insight.)
