I think we need to acknowledge that we now live in a world consumed by fear, perhaps more so than in the past. The current situation in the US has made us very wary. Our ideas of democracy, constitutions, and so forth have all decayed. The notion that America is a democracy is slowly slipping away, replaced by the idea that it is a republic – though I'm sure the people screaming "it's a republic, not a democracy!" don't truly understand what a republic is. But that's beside the point.
The Fear of "The Other"
Returning to my original concept, we're living in a world of fear. One reason we're afraid is the fear of the foreigner, the ubiquitous immigrant who's supposedly out there creating all sorts of crime. In reality, we know this isn't true, but there's a general propaganda that claims immigrants commit crimes and, laughably, even eat dogs and cats.
The Fear of the Unknown Future
Then there's the fear of the unknown future. What will the world be like if we accept homosexuals as normal, which they are? I'm not going to state they aren't, or any such nonsense. What's it going to be like for our children? Will we all eventually become homosexuals? Blah, blah, blah – which is absolute nonsense, but that's what some of these more radical, right-wing people tend to believe.
The Fear of Decaying Values
There are also those who cling strongly to the past, asking, "What about our values? What's happening to them?" While I would suggest they're improving, these individuals would suggest they are decaying. There's a fear of what happens when values decay. I'd suggest they're being replaced with better ones, but somehow, "new" isn't better because people are afraid of that future.
The Fear of Predators
The next type of fear we can only have is the fear of the predator. There's this whole discussion about the Epstein list and the nasty people on it, and so forth. Yes, that exists, and yes, it's a major problem, specifically within a certain hierarchy. We forget that the vast number of pedophiles who get away with this are the rich and the people who would go to Mr. Epstein. So, there's a legitimate fear there.
The Fear of Shifting Belief Structures
Then there are other fears, like our internal belief structures decaying. We were told in Sunday school, "This is the way the world is," and that God created us from the dust of the Earth. But then there's evolution, which threatens that belief. We fear that if evolution is true, then everything we learned in the Bible couldn't possibly be true, so we'd have to throw everything away. No, the reality is the Bible is a great book of allegory and metaphor. You don't have to throw away the Bible just because evolution tells you, "No, this is how God actually did it," not by molding us and blowing into us. That's a wonderful allegorical means of explaining it. So, that's another one of the fears.
The Fear of Financial Instability
The next fear we have to deal with is our financial stability. Every day we worry about what's going to happen down the road. Is the government going to run out of money? Of course, they're telling us they are; that's why they have to do stupid things like, in the US, creating a "Department of Government Efficiency" that fires all these people, because, of course, the public service is supposedly taking up so much money, and there's no work. In reality, no, it's only taking up a tiny bit. The only thing is it's harder to control a government organization if it's large. It's easier to control it and express your will on it, like Mr. Trump is doing, if it's smaller and populated by his cronies. So, there's your next fear.
The Fear of Obsolescence and Daily Life
Finally, there are your day-to-day fears: being obsolete. You believe that you and people like you are all going to be shoved aside from history and vilified, like the people in the past, like those who used to hold slaves, or... there are more examples, but I can't think of them off the top of my head right now.
And then, finally, there are the personal, day-to-day fears: bread on the table. How am I going to get it? Will my children have money left to them? Will they be able to progress? And what will happen to them when I die?
Then there's the fear of relationships. Am I going to be looked upon as sidelined by society? Am I going to be the type of person people scorn and want nothing to do with? So, you go to a bar, you sit down, you're having a drink with some wonderful young lady, and you say, "I don't believe in this evolution," and she says, "You're a f***ing nut." Now, if you can change society so they believe your nonsense, then you're not in the minority anymore. That's the way it seems to work for people with a smaller mindset.
Fear Itself
And finally, fear itself. Everybody throws around that wonderful expression, "There's nothing to fear but fear itself." Well, that is possibly true, but fear is a product of our minds. It's not the fear that's the problem; it's why we fear if we educate ourselves we can stop how we let fear affect us, if that makes any sense.
Anyway, that's my ramble for the day.
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