How Not To Be Afraid

Gareth Higgins

Description

We live in a time where we seem more afraid than ever. The rise of populism, polarization and aggression in politics, the media and popular culture, and the climate crisis have coincided with the collapse of previously cherished norms and expectations about economic stability, community life, and even the future of the planet. And all this before the pandemic struck. No wonder we are overwhelmed by anxiety.
Popular speaker, storyteller and activist Gareth Higgins exposes the root causes of fear and shows how we can break its power through life-giving stories, simple spiritual exercises and practical steps to take as individuals and communities.
He contends that it’s time to tell ourselves new stories about the world in which we live, stories that will liberate the greater forces of love, courage and joy. Reflecting on his experience of growing up during the Troubles in Ireland, he shares authentic wisdom that can enable us not only to find calm in the storm, but even to calm the storm itself.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Spiritual Growth
• Christian Living
• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Hymns Ancient & Modern
• Date de parution: 29 avril 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781786223203
• Langue: English

Extrait

Praise for How Not to Be Afraid
“In a world in which everything seems to be imploding around us, I don’t find it particularly realistic or helpful to be told that I should really be transcending fear. But I totally trust Gareth Higgins when he writes about his own fear and how it’s actually possible to transform it into something powerful, something capable of healing us and the world.”
—Nadia Bolz-Weber, author of Shameless ; Accidental Saints ; and Pastrix
“It is easy to say ‘Do not be afraid,’ but it is difficult to live it. In this book, Gareth Higgins brings us on a journey from fear to courage, from being afraid to not staying afraid, from defensiveness to an imagination about what justice might look like in private and public. Gareth Higgins is a friend. This book is too.”
—Pádraig Ó Tuama, writer, poet, Theologian-in-Residence at On Being, and author of In the Shelter
“In How Not to Be Afraid , Gareth Higgins doesn’t dismiss the very real fear we feel, but instead invites us into stories and practices that offer us ways to process our feelings and experiences and bravely cultivate substantial, generative love. This book is a much-needed resource for skill-building through our fear and trauma so we might create the belonging and communities we desire.”
—Micky ScottBey Jones, the Justice Doula, director of healing and resilience initiatives with Faith Matters Network
“Through his brilliance as a storyteller, Gareth Higgins has allowed us simple but deep insights into the possibility of managing the debilitating emotion of fear. By bearing his soul-exhausting experience with fear, he allows us to take our own hero’s journey to find our way through.”
—Dr. James McLeary, former CEO of Inside Circle Foundation and executive producer of the award-winning documentary The Work
“Gareth Higgins spent years feeling trapped in fear, but you wouldn’t guess that about him now. He has worked out an escape route from fear, and he was kind enough to write down each turn along the journey. This practical book makes it a lot easier for each of us to find a way to not be afraid.”
—David Wilcox, storyteller, singer, and songwriter behind The View from the Edge
“Gareth Higgins’s book reminds us that it’s never too late to sit down for a cup of tea with your shadows and your fears. Like old friends, you’ll have plenty to talk about.”
—Rodrigo Dorfman, award-winning filmmaker, multimedia producer, and visual storyteller
“I’m so happy this beautiful book is here. Gareth Higgins has a certain rare magic as a writer and human being. This book will touch you and help you overcome fear, live with courage and creativity, and find meaning on this frightened planet.”
—Brian D. McLaren, author of Faith After Doubt and The Galápagos Islands: A Spiritual Journey
“This storytelling is really captivating! The depth I sensed in the writing touched and opened my heart. I’m already thinking of many people I want to give this book to. I’m grateful Gareth poured his precious time and singular abilities into this work.”
—Mark Silver, founder of Heart of Business
“This is a book written exactly for these challenging times. I don’t remember ever reading a book so creatively structured.”
—Nancy Hastings Sehested, prison chaplain and pastor
“Uniquely crafted! Sure to be an important, transformational read for a lot of people.”
—Tyler McCabe, former program director at Image Journal






How not to be afraid
Seven ways to live when everything seems terrifying
Gareth Higgins
foreword by Kathleen Norris






© Gareth Higgins 2021
Published in 2021 by the Canterbury Press Norwich
Editorial office
3rd Floor, Invicta House
108–114 Golden Lane London
EC1Y 0TG, UK
www.canterburypress.co.uk
Canterbury Press is an imprint of Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd
(a registered charity)
Hymns Ancient & Modern® is a registered trademark of Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd
13A Hellesdon Park Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR6 5DR, UK
Published in the United States in 2021 by Broadleaf Books, Minneapolis
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, Canterbury Press.
The Author has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the Author of this Work
British Library Cataloguing in Publication data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
978 1 78622 318 0




for Brian Ammons,
who once woke me up from a nightmare and said, “You’re OK. You’re OK.
You have what you need.” And he was right.




I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does
away with fear.
—Rosa Parks




Contents
Foreword by Kathleen Norris
Preface
Introduction
Part 1
1. What Are You Afraid Of?
2. Fear Is a Story
3. A Brief History of Fear
4. You Don’t Know the End of the Story
5. Your Story Can Be a Shelter
Part 2
6. Fear of Being Alone
7. Fear of Having Done Something That Can’t Be Fixed
8. Fear of a Meaningless Life
9. Fear of Not Having Enough
10. Fear That You’ll Be Broken Forever
11. Fear of the World
12. Fear of Death

Epilogue
Blessings
Acknowledgments




Foreword
“YOUR ENJOYMENT OF the world is never right, till every morning you awake in heaven.” Not many of us can match the abandon of the seventeenth-century British poet Thomas Traherne, but he lets us know we have an option: to embrace gratitude so fully that it eclipses our anxieties and fears.
Lest we dismiss Traherne as naive or foolish, consider that his was a remarkably unstable era: a violent civil war and the execution of the king, followed by the brutal dictatorship of Oliver Cromwell. Social unrest eased when Traherne was twenty-four and newly ordained as an Anglican priest, but five years later, the bubonic plague struck London, killing thousands and shutting down all trade and social life. Imagine the terror of not knowing what had caused the disease, what might cure it, or how long it would last.
And yet we find Thomas Traherne waking every morning in heaven. His religious faith no doubt helped him, but the kind of gratitude he exudes does not require it. It does require a realistic assessment of our fears.
Now we have a book to help us with that: How Not to Be Afraid , a wholehearted blend of memoir and practical suggestions for coping with fear. It is a necessary book at a time when so many have so much to fear and when fear is being manipulated for political gain. Gareth Higgins examines the full range of human anxieties, from personal feelings of shame and exclusion to concerns about social upheaval. He firmly rejects the notion that violence is needed to conquer fear and restore order.
I became a friend of Gareth when he invited me to one of his annual retreats in Northern Ireland. There I learned more about the terrors he experienced growing up during the Troubles. But I also learned about the peacemaking efforts that he and many others are engaged in there in the hope of transforming their society for the better.
I confess that I don’t like self-help books. They typically offer a false sense of security, suggesting that we can control our lives with cheerful thoughts and a list of dos and don’ts. This book is an altogether different animal. It’s a gentle, open invitation, full of hospitable storytelling that allows us to find ourselves in its pages. As we read about how Gareth has faced terror in his life, we are challenged to reflect on our own fears and to imagine a way to a better self, a better story.
God knows we need it. We may be hardwired to fear genuine danger. But all too often, we let it imprison us until, as Gareth points out, it becomes self-defeating. I once witnessed a dear friend pacing, wringing her hands, and grinding her teeth, fretting about her daughter who was driving home for Thanksgiving from a college two hundred miles away. When at last the girl entered the house, there were hugs and tears and laughter. But within minutes, my friend was grinding her teeth again and wringing her hands. “What’s wrong?” I asked, and she replied, “Now I have to worry about how to get her back safely.”
Our fears can be a spiritual short circuit, as they were for my friend: preventing us from being fully present, even to those we love. But Gareth knows there is another way, and he provides valuable insight into the difference between debilitating fear and a holy fear that gives us courage. Naming and facing our fears can open us to acts of great compassion.
I think of the Cistercian women who have chosen to remain in Venezuela despite the worsening chaos there. Taking a stand for kindness in the face of violence and adversity, they share with their neighbors in ever-increasing deprivations, and they do what they can for the people who come to them seeking food, clothing, shoes, and medicine. A recent photograph shows the women smiling broadly. They are living the story they were called to live, cultivating peace in difficult circumstances. If they encountered Gareth’s claim that “the authority to tell a story may be more powerful than the ability to launch missiles,” I imagine they would laugh and say, “Of course!”
To choose not to fear in the face of danger can make us not only grateful but boldly prophetic—which brings me back to Thomas Traherne. “You never enjoy the w