Inquiry with Zeenat Patel, August 20, 2026

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We met at the Pavilion to explore the question of fear and the unknown. Zeenat began by reading Krishnamurti’s quote:

“One is never afraid of the unknown. One is afraid of the known coming to an end.”

A central part of the discussion concerned the self-image. Participants explored how our ideas about who we are can provide a sense of stability, even when those images are limiting or painful. One participant described how the fear of rejection had once led him to withdraw and remain silent. Through looking at this movement, he came to see that the self-image is not fixed, but constantly shifts depending on circumstances and relationships. This raised the question: “If these images are so fluid, why do we rely on them as something secure?”

The group also examined whether thought can ever encounter the unknown. Our fears and expectations about the future are shaped by memory, past experience and imagination. As one participant put it, “Maybe the actual illusion is the known.” The discussion suggested that when we project the past into the future, we may be responding not to what is actually happening, but to images and stories created by thought.

Fear was also explored in relation to vulnerability, risk and comfort. Participants questioned whether remaining passive or comfortable is truly safe, recognizing that there may also be a risk in doing nothing. Zeenat suggested “curiosity” as another possible response: rather than trying to stop thought or force ourselves into the unknown, perhaps we can simply observe the movement of thought, fear and self-image as they arise.

Towards the end, the dialogue turned to the possibility that the unknown is not somewhere we must reach, but is already present from moment to moment. The next moment cannot be known with certainty, yet we continually overlay it with expectations in search of security. This left the group with an open question: can there be a direct meeting with life as it is, without allowing the images and conclusions of the past to define what we see?

 

  • Anastasia Shtamina