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SHOWING THREAD FOR the fear chronicle by r_leer_lee
Created at 2005-10-25 16:13:40
fear 101 by r_leer_lee2006-03-11 05:05:36

"The only thing we have to fear is, fear itself."  Franklin Roosevelt

What should we fear?  How do we decide what to fear?  Who gets to tell us what to fear?

Tune in any media outlet, each and every day, there is something new to fear.  Natural disaster, terrorism, economic woe, disease... the list is so long and so ingrained in our psyche we never stop to consider the veracity of a perceived threat. We just simply fear.

The human animal is wired for fear.  There is a button, deep in our brain, that when pushed reacts rather instantly and curiously.  It bypasses normal patterns of evaluation.  When we fear, we don't think about it, we just simply fear.  Chemicals are released that immediately effect our emotions and action.  Now, don't get me wrong, fear is not a bad thing.  Indeed, when I am strolling thru the desert, as I do daily, when I hear a rattlesnake I am damn glad it bypasses the built in encyclopedia in my head.  My body is brought immediately to attention, I feel the cortisol surge thru my veins and arteries which alerts me to a real threat.  Then my analysis begins.  Where is it, how far away, in which direction shall I move away?

So what's wrong with fear? What makes it worthy of its own blog? Savvy, and not so savvy, politicians, governments and advertisers have learned to push our fear buttons.  Fear distracts, controls, makes us jump in directions that "they" want us to jump.  It is the twenty first century tool of mass manipulation.

I intend to explore fear here, and welcome your comments.
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Great topic! by PetalfleshPetalflesh2006-03-11 05:05:36
   

I think there is a fear that is taught and there is fear as in instinct. 

Fear that is taught is mommy and daddy telling that if you don't brush your teeth will be visted by cucey (mexican boogyman).

Instinct would obviously be when you are running for your life for whatever reason.

Fear is power and potlitians other groups with an agenda know this.  It controls like you said. The religious right has used it for centuries.  Fear hell and satan but through God you can be saved.  Take that concept mix it with political issues and you have a nation full of people who now need their churches, politians and most of all God. They are incapable of weening themselves off of these needful things fearing they will go to hell.

I am not saying God is bad. I am saying that people have abused words and twisted them to make God an ally.

As you said above, the media does this.  We need to watch the news to know how to protect ourselves from terrorism, bird flu or whatever ailment or disease plagues our country.  We want to be informed but unfortunatly the media knows how to grip hearts. It knows children our children are involved so they prey on weakness and what we care for most.

There is a sick science to how media, government etc pulls us in.  I have come to a conclusion that the individual has to be educated and look out for themself and their family.  Kill the TV for awhile.  Do research on all sides of the story. We are a nation of fear and debt because we are fed this and we allow ourselved to live in fear. It's a hard life line to break for most americans.  But fear and it's associates have been in buisness for centuries. 

Thanks for the thought provoking topic. I get tired of the 'poor me' journal entries. This was refreshing.

d.
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