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Language is greatly obfuscated. It has made it difficult to get a clear meaning across, and on purpose.

Take the word “fear”. What is the meaning of it? I see two distinct and very separate meanings of the word, but by sharing exactly the same spelling and pronunciation, we will subconsciously see them as flavors of what is essentially the same thing, which can be very dangerous sometimes.

So what are the two meanings of fear?

One is an emotion. All emotions serve a purpose. They exist, and they exist for a reason. No emotion in and of itself is there to control us or to keep us locked in a certain state.

Fear as an emotion is what I would call “fright”. Its polar opposite is “courage”. It is exactly the same emotion, but turned to acceptance rather than rejection. Do not confuse courage with fearlessness, which is no emotion.

Another emotion one might call fear is “nervousness”, the opposite of “excitement”. In fact, these are the same emotion, only that one is the rejecting flavor, while the other is the accepting flavor.

Such is the case for every single emotion.

Because you are always faced with a choice.

Will you choose rejection or will you choose acceptance?

When feeling fright in the face of danger, is this something that you can handle? Or when feeling nervous when facing a task that could potentially have a huge impact. Can you handle the risk?

This is where the wisdom lies in consciousness, and in making a conscious choice, rather than an unconscious choice.

Know what you are up against, and let your nervousness be nervousness or excitement as needed. Let your fright be fright or courage as needed. That is what it means to control your emotions.

Emotions are a tool. They are your guidance system. Do not suppress your emotions or act on them unconsciously.

Consciousness is the key.

What is the second meaning of fear?

The second meaning is what is often said to be the opposite of love. I would rather call them “rejection” and “acceptance”, because love too has been given many meanings.

Rejection and acceptance, the two motivators for choice. The two flavors of each emotion that we have. Do you need to protect yourself or is it safe? Rejection and acceptance are inherent in nature and are there to keep you safe from harm, and to help you evolve.

The key, the true key is consciously knowing when to choose what, and being in control of your thoughts, emotions, and actions. That is what consciousness is, as opposed to unconsciousness.

Do not fall into the trap of unconscious fear/rejection, and do not fall into the trap of unconscious love/acceptance. One will keep you from expanding. The other will cause you harm.

We are not here to step away from fear and into love. We are here to step away from unconsciousness and into consciousness, and to regain control over our thoughts, emotions, and actions.

...And this is why the word consciousness has been obfuscated.

First step towards regaining control of yourself: “Why did I just have this reaction/thought/emotion/trigger?”