Parable on fear

There was once a strong and inquisitive young man who loved to travel.
In his thirst for for knowledge he moved from place to place,
drinking in wisdom and recording everything that happened to him.
Eventually, he came to a beautiful village slumbering at the foot of a mountain
surrounded on all sides by green hills where gentle winds blew intermittenly,
delighting the mind and refreshing the heart. In this beautiful place, he was
schocked to see that the inhabitants of this village were sad. They moved sluggishly,
dragging their feet. To him they appeared no more than moving phantoms, without body or soul.
The sight of these phantoms terrified him. He became determined to discover what made them so
and set off to a fabled wise man who lived alone, in a hut, cut off from village and its inhabitants.
When he met the wise man, he asked what secret lay behind this great paradox. He asked why these
people lived in a state of subjugation and dejection in a village where everything would seem to
suggest that the people would be blessed with happiness and well-being. The sage came out of his hut
and pointed at bhe top of the mountain. "Look at that peak. An enormous ogre sits up there. From where it sits,
he raves and shrieks, filling peoples heart with fear by threatening to gobble the them up if they leave their
homes or do any kind of work at all. The people terrorized by his shrieks, can live only by stealth
Only their survival instinct keeps them going. They steal out like mice in secret to gather enough to keep body and
soul together. They live day by day, waiting impatiently for the moment of their death. Their fear of this ogre has
sapped their intellect and depleted their physical powers, reducing them to despair and hoplessness."

The young man thought for a while and said, "Im going to the top of the mountain. I will talk to this ogre and ask
why he wants to prevent from them leading their lives in peace and safety."

"Go up to the top of the mountain? No sane person would risk his life by daring to meet the ogre. I implore you
not to do it for the sake of your life, young man!" But the young man would not be dissuaded. He was determined to
do what he believed had to be done. And so, with slow but sure steps he started on his way to the peak.

When young man reached the peak. the ogre did, indeed seem large at first; however, what he found as he walked on
astonished him. The closer he got, the smaller the ogre became. By the time he arrived he found this great ogre who
terrorized many was smaller than his littlest finger. The young man flattened his hand, held out his palm and the
tiny ogre jumped onto it.
"Who are you?" the young man asked.
"I am Fear," the ogre replied
"Fear of what?" the young man asked
That depends on who you are. How each person sees me depends how he imagines me. Some people fear illness, and
they see me as disease. Others fear poverty, so they see me as poverty. Othes fear authority, so they see authority
in me. Some fear injustice, others wild beasts or storms, that's how i appear to them. He who fears the water
i appear as a torrent, he who fears war percieves in me an army, ammunition or suchlike."
"But why they do see you as bigger than you really are?"
"To each person i appear as big as is his fear. As long as they refuse to approach and confront me they will never know
my true size."