The Scarecrow's gun

After leaving the Emerald City to obtain the wicked witches broomstick, per the wizards request, Dorothy's friends arm themselves. The Tin Man has his axe, the Lion brings a canister of pesticide and the Scarecrow, a gun. In an effort to gain some prop to help ward off the fear of what they expect to encounter, they feel the need to arm themselves.
Our minds act much the same. We arm ourselves with allegiances, to country, to team, to something bigger than ourselves. We align ourselves with an image, a logo, a flag, a dogma, a credo, in an effort to attach ourselves to something.
Meditation melts much of this away. Belief systems fade and are slowly replaced with awareness.
What? You didn't notice that the Scarecrow carried a gun? After the flying monkeys carried Dorothy and Toto off to her castle, it was dropped in favor of wit and intuition. Good thing.