Are fear and joy mere emotions?

Fear is the energy on which we run our entire lives—fear for our reputation, health, money, fear of losing our loved ones, fear of punishment from God... The question is: if not fear, on what energy do we function? A natural response would be happiness or joy. However, the opposite of fear is not joy, but courage.

There is an energy equally powerful that is available to all of us: our ego. Most religions and philosophies tell us to demolish the ego. The reality is that only if it is fragile is it harmful. The ego is our survival instinct, and the day we realise that, we develop what is called the super ego. Simply put, it is an understanding that we are the children of God, so we have nothing to worry about!

Happiness or joy is a state of being. Even when we are going through a particular situation which may be a cause of concern, our state of being should be that of happiness. Because if the super ego knows that we are taken care of by God or the Universe, then what is there to be unhappy about!

When we get angry, how do we feel? Is it possible to describe that feeling? Experiencing  anger is like a fire; like burning energy. And what is the energy that we burn when we are angry? It is the energy of joy and happiness.

Can we be angry and happy at the same time? Can we be jealous and happy at the same time? Can we be fearful and happy at the same time? The answer is ‘no’. So let’s stop burning that energy of joy and take courage from the fact that we are all looked after by the Divine.