Fear

A lot of people make decisions based upon fear. Their careers, their recreation, their politics are determined by their fears. Fear of what would happen if they went out of their comfort zone and fear of where we would end up if the status quo were not maintained.

The problem with fear is that it can be all consuming and illogical at the same time. Standing frozen at the entrance of your bedroom because you can see a snake waiting for you in the dimly lit room will dominate your thoughts and your actions until the fear is dealt with. It is not as if you can just wander back into the living room and forget that there is a snake in your bedroom. You are not going to eat, go to work, and most definitely you are not going to sleep. Your fear is in control.

Having your friend save the day by turning on your bedroom light to show you that what you thought was a snake was actually your neck tie hanging on the back of a chair brings tremendous relief - for now. The irrational thinking may be gone but the fear that caused the irrational thinking remains along with the consequences of the irrational thinking.

It is not always easy to think things through, especially when your thoughts and decisions are controlled by your fear. Some fears are well earned through empirical experience but many fears we carry were placed upon our shoulders by societal inertia and cultural paradigms.

Clearly we do not live in a utopian state. There is no possible way we can cater to everyone’s fears, but if we take the time to illuminate the issues that affect the most vulnerable members of our society, fear-based reactions can be replaced by logical solutions.

 “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” - Plato (427 BC - 347 BC)