Why Can't Life Just Be Simple?

Having a conversation with a good friend today, I asked him, "why can't life just be simple?" I wasn't honestly expecting a real response. Usually when you ask that question the answer is something about how today's lifestyle just isn't compatible with living simply, or that life just is what it is. His answer kind of shook me up a bit.

"Because it hurts. Life is complicated because we make it complicated. Because we care too much about other people's feelings and not enough about our own. Because we are afraid, afraid to do the things that we know will make us happy."

If you've read my past blogs, you know I talk a lot about my problem caring about others more than myself. So the fact he brings that up made me think that maybe I'm not the only one with the problem. Is there really hope?

We are afraid. Hearing that word struck a chord within me. I do honestly live every moment in fear of something. Fear of losing my relationship, losing my health, losing my mind, losing my home. Fear of failure, fear of disappointing and of disappointment. Fear that I'll never be happy.

How can I stop living a life filled with fear? As a child, we were scared of things we didn't know or didn't understand. We were scared of things that we imagined or perceived as a threat. We all outgrew fears of ghosts and monsters because as we got older we learned they weren't real. When you're 16 you're nervous as heck to get behind the wheel of your first car and learn how to drive. But once we got more familiar with that sensation we no longer were afraid to drive places we needed to go. All girls are scared of their first kiss, of their first time. But once you knew it was safe and you weren't going to get hurt it is incredibly enjoyable.

Does that mean that if I can start building a safety net I can stop being afraid and start being happy? Do I just have to get more experience, more knowledge? Is that really how simple it is?