The Fear Of Dying vs. The Fear Of Not Living

Men and women fear different things. Find out some of those differences in this mini podcast.

Grasshopper Notes are the writings from America's Best Known Hypnotherapist John Morgan. His podcasts contain his most responded to essays and blog posts from the past two decades. 

Find the written versions of these podcasts on John's podcasting site: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628038

"The Grasshopper" is the part of you that whispers pearls of wisdom that  seem to pop into your mind from out of the blue. John's essays and blog posts are his interpretations of these "Nips of Nectar." Others have labeled his writings as timeless wisdom. 

Most of the John's writings revolve around self improvement and self help. They address topics like:

• Mindfulness
• Peace of mind
• Creativity
• How to stay in the present moment
• Spirituality
• Behavior improvement

And stories that transform you to a wider sense of awareness that presents more options. And isn't that what we all want, more options? 

John uploads these podcasts on a regular basis. So check back often to hear these podcasts heard around the world. Who wants to be the next person to change? 

Make sure to order a copy of John's new book: WISDOM OF THE GRASSHOPPER – 21 Days to Creativity. These mini-meditations take you inside where all your creative resources live. And you'll come out not only refreshed but recommitted to creating your future. 

It's only $16.95 and available at BLURB.COM at the link below. https://www.blurb.com/b/10239673-wisd...

Also, download John's FREE book INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change. It's available at John's website  https://GrasshopperNotes.com

Transcript

“The Fear of Dying vs. the Fear of Not Living”

When I was a teenager, my friends and I used to sneak into the Swarthmore Quarry to swim. It was tucked back in the woods, full of “Keep Out” signs — which meant it was perfect for teenage boys.

We’d dive off the rocks. One ledge was maybe 12 or 15 feet up — no big deal. Then we spotted a much higher rock above it. We guessed 100 feet. It was probably closer to 80, but to us it looked like the top of the world.

Two of us jumped. Two didn’t. They called us brave. Looking back with adult eyes, it wasn’t brave — it was dumb. You can dress it up as “adventure” or “pushing limits,” but really, it was boys being boys.

That memory got me thinking: Why do grown men still do boy things? And the answer came to me: it makes us feel young. It’s our homemade Fountain of Youth. The only problem is, we don’t have the same agility we once did.

Then The Grasshopper chimed in with this:

“Men do those things because they’re afraid of dying.Women do those things because they’re afraid of not living.”

And wow . . . that struck home.

There’s a moment in the movie Moonstruck where the characters Rose and Johnny are having a discussion about why men chase women. Johnny remarks, "I don’t know. Maybe because he fears death." Rose responds, "That's it! That's the reason!"

For a lot of women, what they fear most isn’t death — it’s the mundane. Feeling trapped. Lifeless routine. They treat “ordinary” as a kind of slow-motion death.

So the logic goes like this: Men chase adventure to outrun death. Women chase adventure to feel alive.

And both sides tend to go looking in the wrong place.

You can climb Kilimanjaro or go on safari. You can tour the vineyards of Tuscany. When you get home, the same fear, the same emptiness, is usually still sitting there waiting for you.

Because what we’re seeking isn’t “out there.”

The life we want is always available — just not in the form culture keeps promising.

We’ve all been trained to seek instead of find.

Finding happens when seeking stops. When you quit believing the answer is somewhere outside of you, peace shows up. It’s been there the whole time.

Travel. Explore. Go everywhere you can afford to go. Enjoy all of it. Just don’t confuse the trip for the treasure, or you’ll wind up disappointed again and again.

There’s an old book called Acres of Diamonds by Russell Conwell. His message was simple: the diamonds are where you already are – in your own backyard. You don’t have to travel the world to find them. He was talking about money — but the same thing applies to what we all really want: peace of mind.

It shows up when you stop seeking and start looking within — and discover the gem that’s already there.

All the best,

John