Love and Fear

If I remember correctly and am allowed to oversimplify, one of the guiding principles behind “A Course in Miracles” is that pretty much everything in our lives is based on on either love or fear.  Just those two emotions, love and fear. I’ve been thinking about this lately and wondering if it applies to even the small and seemingly inconsequential decisions I make on a daily basis — and so far I would say that most of the time it actually does. Fear can definitely hold me back, if I don’t recognize it for what it is and if I give in to it. Fear of the possibility of what might happen in the future is a big one for almost everyone. Love is easier. Every day, we all practice love in lots of ways, both large and small. Considering the love-and-fear premise on a grander scale, I fear what look to me like recent unjust and tyrannical decrees against immigrants, while a neighbor of mine has a strong fear of those very same immigrants, especially the ones practicing the Muslim religion. I love diversity yet another person that I know greatly prefers living in a homogenous neighborhood where everyone looks and acts similar to himself. So I guess that it is possible that everyone operates primarily using the principles of love and fear.  We all just happen to love and fear different things.