Member-only story
Fear is the source of so much evil — even within people who are generally good. Even within ourselves.
In December 2019, I spent a day unconscious on a ventilator. It wasn’t the first time I came thisclose to the Grim Reaper. I did it about a dozen years earlier when my spleen burst.
A funny thing happened to me after these incidents. Not only did I survive (and, in fact, I’m feeling pretty damn good!), but my fear of death, and indeed fear of anything sharply diminished. My attitude is: hey, I’m alive today! Cool! What should I do now?
You know, nothing has killed me yet but something will kill me eventually. Sooner or later. And sooner is a real possibility. But I’m not afraid. I just need to decide what to do with my time. So do you.
I want to spend my time enjoying the experience of life and helping others to do the same. It seems obvious to me that this is the best way to proceed. The Golden Rule, however imperfectly I practice it, is my guide.
I think fear is the underlying cause of most of the evil people do. My diminished fear gives me a kind of unfair advantage. I feel like I have nothing to lose, so I have little fear. It’s easier for me to be good than it once was, and perhaps easier for me than for most people.
