If the Mind is Fearful, it is not Free

   The mind is afraid, or can be. It can take truth and fear it, if that truth runs counter to one's own belief.
   The mind is afraid. It will run from the truth, shut it out, seek to avoid it, refuse to hear it -- if that truth runs counter to what one wants to believe.
   And, as a result, truth can wear against the soul. It can age a man. It can bring dissonance. It can bring stress. Since stress kills, since it shortens life as much as anything, truth can kill. Perhaps not truth, itself, but our inability to deal with it.
   The answer, of course, is to have an open mind. Open minds heal the soul. The person who is not bound by an obligation to believe something, is not subject to the stress of a person who does feel obligated to believe something.
   So, then, truth must be taken on its own terms. It cannot be forced upon us. It must be accepted freely. If we would be at peace, we must keep our minds free to receive truth. We must fight the fear, for if the mind is fearful, it is not free. If we are to be free, we must not be afraid.