A chaplain told me of his experiences in the Second World
War. He had to parachute from a damaged plane and land
in the jungle. He said he was frightened, but he knew there
were two kinds of fear, normal and abnormal which we have
previously pointed out. He decided to do something about the
I fear immediately, and began to talk to himself saying, “John,
you can’t surrender to your fear. Your fear is a desire for safety
and security, and a way out.” He began to claim, “Infinite
intelligence which guides the planets in their courses is now
leading and guiding me out of this jungle.”
He kept saying this out loud to himself for ten minutes
or more. “Then,” he added, “something began to stir inside
me. A mood of confidence began to seize me, and I began
to walk. After a few days, I miraculously came out of the
jungle, and was picked up by a rescue plane.” His changed
mental attitude saved him. His confidence and trust in the.
subjective wisdom and power within him was the solution to
his problem.
He said, “Had I begun to bemoan my fate and indulge
my fears, I would have succumbed to the monster fear, and
probably would have died of fear and starvation.”