Part 2: The Day We Abandoned Experience: How Fear Took Us Into the Mind
Recap of Part 1:
In our first article, we explored the essence of experience — not as an idea or analysis, but as the raw, felt presence of what’s actually happening. We saw how infants and animals live this way naturally, and how our deepest states of being — love or fear — shape every experience. The core invitation was simple yet profound: to stop explaining life and start living it.
Now, let’s look at how we lost that direct connection… and how to begin reclaiming it.
🧱 The First Wall: When Fear Became a Story
At some point in childhood, something scared us — and for the first time, instead of just feeling the fear, we interpreted it.
Maybe someone raised their voice. Maybe we were left alone for too long. Maybe we failed at something.
But instead of saying, “I feel fear,” our mind said,
“This means I’m not safe.”
“This means I’m not good enough.”
“This means I can’t trust people.”
That’s when the shift happened.
We stopped experiencing fear as energy and started turning it into meaning.
We started protecting ourselves — not from the fear itself, but from the story we built around it.
And just like that, we stepped out of the moment and into the mind.
🌀 The World of Concepts: When the Mind Took Over
From that moment on, life became a mental puzzle.
Instead of asking, “What am I feeling?” we asked, “What’s wrong with me?”
Instead of being present, we tried to be right.
Instead of feeling our way through life, we tried to “figure it out”.
But concepts are not reality. They are filters. Maps. Interpretations.
We traded the aliveness of experience for the perceived safety of explanation.
And while that may have helped us feel more in control, it came at a cost:
We stopped actually living.
⚖️ Being Right vs. Being Real
When you live in the mind, you’re always editing, comparing, defending. That’s just what it does. You focus on appearances — on being correct, acceptable, validated. You become hyper-aware of what others might think, and disconnected from what you actually feel.
But here’s the truth:
No amount of “right answers” can replace real experience.
You cannot think your way into wholeness. You can only feel your way there.
And the gateway back? It begins with being willing to stop fighting what is — and start allowing it.
💡 Awareness Is the Antidote
This isn’t about blaming the mind. The mind is brilliant. But it’s not the place we find peace.
Peace lives in presence. And presence lives in experience.
To come home to yourself, you don’t need a new belief. You need the courage to feel what’s real — without making it mean something about your worth.
Up Next in Part 3:
Healing Through Feeling: The Transformative Power of Full Experience
We’ll dive into the hidden cost of resisting emotions — and how fully allowing your feelings (without fixing or analyzing them) can unlock deep healing and freedom. Get ready to explore how your pain isn’t the problem — your resistance to it is.
