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How to Overcome Fear

has some relevance here. I am a born perfectionist.
That is why I have always wanted things to be in
impeccable order. Whenever I have found things not
to be in perfect order, I have become very troubled
and distressed. This anxiety increased to such a great
extent during my childhood that I wrote a poem on it.
The following is one of its verses: Zindagani hai ke ya
khwab koi vehshatnaak (Life seems to me to be a dreadful
dream).
I have read and thought a lot about this subject. It is
obvious that this is a common problem for every man
and woman. But, in this world, according to the law
of nature, man has to live with contradictions. That is,
man is himself a perfectionist, while the world itself is
far from perfect. Things will frequently be seen not to
be in perfect order. After this discovery, I developed a
realistic approach to life. In those days, I came across
a relevant maxim: ‘Maturity is the ability to live with
things we cannot change.’ Bearing this in mind, I was
able to rationalize the issue and live with a tension-free
mind.

Although fear seems to be external, in reality it is
within one’s own mind. Often when people enter a dark
room, they think that some deadly animal is crawling
across the floor. But when they switch on the light,
they realize that there was nothing of the sort in the
room. It had only been a figment of their imagination.
Therefore, the solution to the problem of fear cannot
be found outside oneself, but has to be managed at the
level of one’s own mind. Fear is overwhelming so long
as it is considered real. If you can come to grips with the

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