Fear

Now more than ever I have realized that the people of the world are ruled by fear. It is the chief motivator in any situation. People are crippled, frozen in place, terrofied of any and everything. Fear is a survival mechanism, and usually occurs in response to a specific negative stimulus. And the sad truth is that the experts are the ones who are making us fearful, providing the perfect stimulus to make us afraid. Humans can become very intimidated by fear causing them to go along with another's wishes without caring about their own input. The government, with their so called experiements and such are telling us what to be afraid of, and no one says otherwise. You know, we really have to take their word for it.

For example, a few years back a story hit the news stands about the terrible cholesterol in eggs. Eggs are bad and you shouldn't eat them. Fear fear fear. The common person is not going to take an egg, go down to their laboratory in the basement and test the cholestrol or fat content of the egg. We just have to believe them because the experts, the government, or the news media told us so. The worst part of all of this is that I have a feeling that all of this fear is not even based on cold hard facts. I have a feeling that the truth told to people is bought by the highest bidder. You will remember that maybe a year ago or so, a new study came out that announced that eggs are indeed good for you, so people started eating them more. So which is it? They were bad, but now they are good? Perhaps the egg companies banded together, raised enough money, bribed the experts and the government, and all of a sudden eggs are healthy again! All I have to say to that is WTF!

Just to make my point, here are some things that we have been told to be afraid of.......do you believe these lies?

-trans fat
-terrorists
-airplanes
-liquids and gels
-going to school
-computer viruses
-being different
-losing your job
-not having healthcare
-Harry Potter
-alcohol, tobacco, various drugs
-burning in hell
And the list goes ON AND ON AND ON.....Everyone also has their own personal fears. But they are as unfounded as the fears listed above. Even if there was evidence, I am still going to do what I want with my life. And what I want is to live a life free from fear. That is what I want for everyone I love.

I found this great article about the culture of fear by Royce Carlson called Fear Rules. Please go check it out. He says, "People are inclined to give up a lot when driven by fear. The first thing that goes is logic and any semblance of objectivity. They are willing to give up freedom in exchange for protection. They will give up their respect for the rights of others and go against their deepest beliefs if they are afraid."

A perfect example of this is found in Michael Moore's movie Bowling for Columbine. I am attaching a clip of the movie here that really does a good job of explaining the roots of fear, especially in this country. Enjoy!