Fear of ourselves

Many of us, without even realizing it, are dominated by fear. We might be aware of some of our fears – perhaps we are afraid of public speaking, financial hardship, or losing a loved one. Most of us suffer from a far more pervasive form of fear: the fear of ourselves. We feel ashamed and embarrassed to look at our feelings or acknowledge our styles of thinking and behaving; we don’t want to face the reality of our moment-to-moment experience. It is this fear that keeps us trapped in cycles of suffering, despair, and distress.
Chögyam Trungpa