Running Scared . . . No More

Fear is a powerful motivator.  Fear is uncomfortable.  Who enjoys being uncomfortable?  No one enjoys being uncomfortable.  Because of this there is a tendency to move away from fear and towards our comfort zone.  Fear makes us change our behavior, the way we think, and how we react towards others.  It motivates us to act in certain ways to step away from our discomfort.  Many believe that fear is the greatest motivation in life.

Over my lifetime I have witnessed the power of fear to control and manipulate the society I live in.  Twice a year I take advantage of my employer’s offer to get a health check.  A part of that health check is a full and comprehensive blood work-up.  With the blood work comes a written, comprehensive report detailing my health.  Part of that is “red flagging” concerns with bright red print.  I have never received one of these reports without one or two “red flags”.

 

My knee jerk reaction?  Oh my God, I’m dying!  How long do I have to live?  The fear sets in.  I call my doctor, arrange an appointment, and put the mortuary on speed dial.  As always, my doctor talks me down, pointing out that all mu scores are well within the normal range.  I trust my doctor more than I trust a big insurance company whose number one priority is profit not health.

 

During the Halloween season I witnessed a lot of humor around fear.  Lots of it focused on an individual in front of a screen being scared to death.  When asked what scary movie they were watching, the response was “the news.  Media knows how to use news to manipulate the masses . . . and it doesn’t matter which side you are on—liberal or conservative.  Fear works.

 

When it comes to the media, reality is often far from what is reported.

 

 The power of fear is all around us . . . even when it comes to matters of faith.  Fear can motivate the faithful.  Think about it.  One of the scariest phrases that my mother ever uttered at me was . . . “wait until your father gets home.”  That certainly helped me change my attitude and behavior.  How many times, at least for Christians, did the writers of the scripture spark fear in the faithful by saying, “Just wait until God gets down here . . . or Jesus is coming/returns”?  The writer of the Book of Revelation understood how fear motivates.  Alternating every other chapter with fear, the writer succeeds in scaring the faithful . . . especially those sitting on the fence.

 

Fear is a big motivator when it comes to religion and faith.  Check out how well the evangelicals employ it to keep their masses intact and under control.  Even in those bodies of faith that preach “love” there are strings and conditions attached to that love.

 

For generations . . . actually it has probably been since the beginning of time . . . politics has effectively used fear.  Politicians have known the power of fear to sway votes away from their opponents and into their coffers.  It has been said that the recent election was an election run on fear.  Both dies invoked the power of fear in hopes that they would win.

 

When used as a weapon, fear comes down to control.  When a person is gripped by fear—whether real or imagined—rational and higher cognitive capacities shut down.  This makes them easily manipulated by anyone who promises safety from the threat.

 

Sound familiar?

 

The sad thing about fear, besides its power to manipulate, is that it can lead people to act in ways that harm others.  Whether or not is intended, I have a feeling that there is a whole lot of hurt coming down the road after this election.  Time will tell, but I think the response to this fear is going to bring more harm than help.  The only ones who will benefit will be those in control.

 

The “fear of fear” is phobophobia.  I don’t want to live my life based on fear.  I don’t want to buy into this forced picture of the world being a big, dark, scary place.  I know that it is not.  You know that it is not.  So let us not jump onto the bandwagon of fear, giving our lives and the world we live in to a small controlling group.  They don’t care because if they did, they would not use fear against us.

 

Let us stand up to fear and those who weaponize and perpetuate it against us.  Let us confront our fears.  Research our fears.  Dig for the reasons behind those fears and those who perpetuate them.  Let us not have the wool pulled over our eyes.  Don’t let others paint our life’s pictures for us, let’s paint our own.  Don’t allow another to think for us.

 

Life is good despite what others would want us to believe.  It only takes a spark to get a fire going . . . that fire can be one of fear or one of love.  I side with love.  Love is the better way.  After all, the Creator did not create any junk.  It is a wonderful world.  Ask Louis Armstrong.

 

Civil War?

 Prior to the actual election one side of the political divide spoke of the possibility of civil war in our nation depending upon the outcome.  This was not a one-time, shoot off at the mouth occurrence.  This threat has been floating around for several years hinting at the divisiveness across the country.  Thankfully that scenario did not play out as the perpetrators of this threat won out in the election.  Civil war was averted, though those on the losing side still aren’t sure how to respond to their defeat . . . they are still attempting to figure out what went wrong.  I am certain that they will not rise up in violence . . . they just want to know what went wrong.

There has been a lot written and said about this election and its outcome.  There are lots of theories and opinions about the outcome but name an election where this is not the standard case.  As Americans we have to place the blame on someone or some group.  That just feeds into the real problem and doesn’t even come close to solving the crisis at hand.  That is what it is . . . a crisis.

 

This crisis is destroying us as a nation . . . as a community.  Ironically this demise was predicted.  Nearly 200 years ago a young Frenchman, Alexis de Tocqueville, visited America and traveled throughout for a year interviewing its citizens.  He wanted to figure out what made this nation so unique and special.  The book he wrote was Democracy in America.  Basically, he discovered that individualism was the foundation upon which the nation was born and made and makes America great.  He also believed that this characteristic would also be the demise of America . . . its downfall.  Americans see themselves as “a special creation, set apart from other humans” according to Tocqueville.  This would be the death of America.

 

Fast-forward to 1985 . . . a sociological study is published by a team of sociologists led by Robert N. Bellah titled Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life.  Underlying this study is whether or not Tocqueville’s prophecy was accurate.  What they discovered as they conducted their own interviews across the country was that Tocqueville was right.  That which made America great at the start was now destroying it.  Individualism was squashing the nation . . . the community.

 

This brings us to today.

 

Harvard ethics professor Christopher Robichaud nails it on the head in an article he wrote about the election.  He states that the problem with the election results does not lie upon any single individual, group, or process.  That’s just the good ol’ American way of placing the blame to make ourselves feel better.  Someone once said that the favorite pastime in American is denial.  Robichaud bluntly puts the crisis squarely upon everyone.  It is the culture, and we are all a part of our nation’s culture.  It is a culture that focuses upon the individual over the community . . . at all costs.  “American, culturally, has completely abandoned a politics of decency and respect and has instead a politics of resentment, revenge, false nostalgia, and bullying,” writes Robichaud.  Individualism rules the day.  My way or the highway.  It is our culture just as Tocqueville predicted nearly 200 years ago.  It is the American culture.

 

Sadly, if we are going to survive as a nation . . . as a community . . . there needs to be a war.  Not a civil war, but “civility war”.  Civility is the way that people treat one another . . .acknowledgement, respect, politeness, courtesy.  The Golden Rule—treat one another as you would want to be treated.  If we are going to be a great nation, then we need to embrace civility.  Without it . . . well, look around . . . we get what we have right now.  A real crisis.  More profanely yet accurately stated, a shit show.  It must stop if we are going to survive as a nation and community.

 

As much as I want to rant and rave about having lost in my electoral preferences, I realize that it is not going to change a thing.  In the end it just compounds the crisis.  Enough is enough.  It is quite apparent that as a nation we don’t all agree.  We want what we think is best for ourselves.  Because of this we have embraced an “us and them” mentality in which our opposition is less than human, demonic, evil and worthy of debasement . . . even the threat of death.  We witnessed this from all sides in this election.  No one is innocent.  We embraced it as a nation.  We have to quit pretending to be “nice” to secure our way.  This is individualism at its most stinky level.  Two hundred years in the making and it must stop.

 

We need to demand from our leaders and ourselves—civility—the Golden Rule.  We must declare war on incivility and meanness.  It won’t be easy because we have had over 200 years of slowly allowing this practice of debasement to control our lives.  It won’t change or happen overnight . . . it will take generations resolved on changing to make it happen.  But we must begin.  Begin right now, where we are . . . in our relationship within families, communities, states, and nation.  Even in the world.  We must embrace the Golden Rule and learn to treat others as we would want to be treated—with love and respect.  We must embrace the good for all over the good for the individualism.  We must be community and hang on tight to that common unity.  We must roll up our sleeves and start the work of claiming our nation back.  It is going to take time, but we can begin where we are . . . eventually the scale will be tipped toward this better way.

 

The time has come to demand that enough is enough.  It is the only way any of us—all of us—winning or losing side—are going to survive.  I truly believe it.  You might think I’m full of malarkey . . . that I am way off base . . . a dreamer.  But you know what, I am not the only one.  I know that there are others who believe as I do.  As John Lennon so aptly wrote:

 

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join u

And the world will live as one

(Imagine, John Lennon, 1971)

 

That is my prayer.