Meditation: "The Cause of Every Problem"

This morning I clearly understood a great truth. It came to me that every problem in life -- every sorrow, worry, obstacle, setback, or crisis – is ultimately caused by fear. If I was never afraid, nothing would be problematical for me. Whatever dire situation I might find myself in, it’s my fear that causes it to be dire – that causes me to resist it, fight against it, and run from it. If the fear wasn’t present, I would calmly accept every situation, and thus no situation would ever present a difficulty for me. When this realization led me to probe further and to ask where fear comes from, another wonderful understanding came to me – that all fear arises from a sense of separation. When I’m afraid, it’s because I feel like a separate material entity surrounded by other material entities; I feel alone and therefore vulnerable. If I think I’m basically on my own and by myself in this universe, then obviously fear is going to be a significant part of my life. This, in turn, led to me a final truth, the most wonderful one of all – that I’’m never alone, never separate, and therefore never have to be afraid. The simple, scientific fact (supported by discoveries in physics in the last hundred years) is that the entire universe is a single, vast, harmonious swirl of energy, of which I am an integral and necessary part. I am no more separate from the rest of the universe than a molecule of water is separate from its river, or a breeze in one part of my town is separate from a breeze in another part. Everything is together, one, unified, whole. When I move my arm in Rhode Island, the entire universe is altered in a small but significant way. And if that’s true – if we’re all together -- then I’m never separate, and therefore never need to be afraid. Indeed, being afraid in a world of oneness is just plain silly, because there is no other, separate thing to be afraid of.