Fear is the shadow of ''I''....
All our fears are by-products of Identification. - OSHO
Once in years we come across a book that strips down all layers of pretend philosophy, stares us down in the face and says exactly what we need to hear. Last time I came across such a book in 2019 called ''The Art of Happiness''. It changed my life.
Now after 2 years of seeking self improvement and spiritual content on digital and offline mediums I have finally found another such book that may come as a rude awakening, but a necesary one.
Fear by Osho is not a narrative read, it is probably a transcript from one of his talks on ''Fear'' or a commpilation of all the questions he has been asked about Fear. While the questions do not flow in any order, the answer's definitely take you on a journey.
If you are looking for a narrative arc or any introduction + conclusion- this one is not for you. This 175 pages long book is filled with answers for a lot of questions we might have asked ourseleves or our loved ones: ''Why are you afraid?''
When we go to a therapist and share our insecurities and anxieties, they sometimes take you on a walk to the worst case scenario lane, asking us to explore our fears. Osho does the same, in lesser words. This is your read if you are facing any insecurity, fear, stagnation in life. This is also for those who are on a healing journey- facing what we call ''inner-demons'' also known as ''ego''.
While I took issue with the binary of East vs West in some of his ideologies, the book rises above it for most parts. If you are not a follower of this man (and like me have a lot of pre-concieved judgements about him) you should absolutely read the book. As my friend says- ''We can always learn something from everyone.''
One major point of familiarity for me was the idea of ''Life and Death'' being one. He says-
Life and Death are not opposites. Ego and Death are opposites. Ego and Life are opposites.
...The death of Ego is really the possibility of your life.
As someone who has in past confessed to friends that I am not afraid of death, this was a section that spoke the most to me. When we say we are afraid of death, are we afraid of the pain? afraid of the afterlife? afraid that we did not get to live enough? afraid that our loved ones will miss us? All of these fears arise from ego and a lack of acceptance towards dualities of life.
If you pick up this book, my suggestion as a fellow reader would be to take it slow. There is a lot to unpack in these few pages and it can get heavy at times- a necessary evil I think. Mix it up with light hearted fantasy fiction or children's stories (I read The Little Prince in between the Osho pages).
Recommended for a slow read- read, realise and experience in time.