The most harmful substances on the planet can’t be swallowed, inhaled or injected . . . . but you’re already addicted to them

My old dad started his career as a rocket scientist with the military. Literally.

Then he migrated to lasers, and from there to chemical warfare agents. Sarin, Soman, Tabun . . . . And those are just the old ones.

Nasty stuff, them thar warfare agents.

Want an idea just HOW nasty?

Lick the tip of your finger with your tongue.

Go ahead, do it.

Now dab the palm of your other hand with the fingertip you wetted.

Now look at the wet spot on your palm.

That much neat Sarin on your skin? The first symptoms will occur within minutes. Within hours, you will be severely ill, or most likely, dead.

Charming. Absolutely charming.

Plenty more substances like it, too. Somebody in Moscow seem to like using Novichok against any Russians who speak up too much against Putin, for example.

But these delightful chemical substances pale in comparison to the effects of three chemicals that you and I are exposed to EVERY DAY.

We’ve experienced these toxins so much, and so long . . . . we don’t even realize it.

What’s worse, they’re addictive. Habit-forming. We absorb them so much that we actually persuade ourselves they’re GOOD.

We even manufacture them, and give them to the people around us, and get them addicted too.

Worse still, they’re cheap, and easily available.

Available where? you might ask.

IN YOUR BRAIN.

What are they called?

Well, the scientific types probably have long, complicated-sounding names for them. But let’s just call ‘em by their nicknames.

You’ve even heard of them. You just didn’t realize how dangerous they were.

They kill far more than Sarin, Novichok, anthrax, or anything else.

They are the three most toxic chemicals known to the human race.

The first one is:

FEAR

It has several variants as well:

• Anxiety.
• Panic.
• Terror.
• Intimidation.

FEAR will make a footballer taking a penalty in extra time . . . . kick the ball over the crossbar, and lose the match.

FEAR will make a poised and brilliant actor walk onto a stage . . . . completely forget their lines . . . and run off sobbing in terror.

It will make a politician entering an election campaign with a mile-long lead in the polls . . . . completely bottle it in the televised debates, say stupid things in a rally, and blow the election.

It will make a lonely teenage boy turning down a corridor in school, coming face-to-face with that gorgeous, dark-eyed, dark-haired girl . . . . as his mouth goes dry . . . . .

Try to get the even the faintest sound to come out of his mouth . . . .

And instead . . . . walk right right on past. Sheer TERROR.

Hoo boy, do I remember that one . . . .

The moment. The Opportunity.

Lost. Gonzo.

FEAR will addle your mind, sap your strength, and make you forget all your past victories.

Eh? WHAT victories?

PRECISELY!

You’ve forgotten them already. All I had to do was use the word FEAR, and your memory was immediately hamstrung.

You. Have. Victories, in your past

Otherwise, you wouldn’t be human.

They might be small (to you), they might be completely unknown to anyone but you . . . . (unlikely - that’s just the voice of FEAR talking again) . . . .

. . . . but YOU HAVE VICTORIES IN YOUR PAST.

AND YOU WILL . . . .

. . . . IF you recognize FEAR for what it is, learn to call it by name, and shut it down . . . . .

. . . . have VICTORIES IN YOUR FUTURE.

FEAR can occasionally be useful, of course.

The classic example of FEAR’S usefulness is crossing at a busy intersection, you look sideways, and observe a 2,000-tonne truck hurtling towards you at 60mph.

FEAR is a very useful ally right then.

But let’s call a spade a spade . . . .

Usually, it’s NOT that useful. In fact, it’s downright counter-productive.

It’s Disabling. You set out to accomplish some new task or goal, and before long, Fear of Failure sets in.

Task goes unfinished. Goal, lying in the ditch by the side of the road.

Fear is Toxic. And INFECTIOUS.

Once it’s got hold of ONE corner of your mind, it starts to spread.

And some people . . . . are really, Really good at stoking it, in YOUR head.

Just look at the Last Four Years.

The US Prez election is over. Thank God for that.

But there’s no getting around how one man . . . . the Donald . . . . managed to stoke the fires of Fear in the heads of Hundreds of Millions around the globe.

And he really, Really enjoyed doing it.

Trump is just the classic example of a Fear Stoker Par Excellence. But we’ve all had smaller-scale Trump cards in our lives.

People, Things, Events, Situations . . . . that kick off our Fear Hormones.

Your Task for Today, should you want to free yourself . . . .

. . . . is to tell those Fear Stokers:

YOU’RE FIRED.

It takes time. And Guts.

(Especially if the Fear is mired in early-childhood traumas. Those are the most difficult ones to dislodge.

But dislodge-able, they are.)

DO IT.

I’ll deal with second Most Toxic Substance Known to the Human Race in the next post.

(Photo courtesy of Mikail Duran on Unsplash.)