Don't let fear or insecurity stop you from trying new things. Believe in yourself. Do what you love. And most importantly, be kind to others, even if you don't like them.
~ Stacy London
Photo by Max Nelson on Unsplash
fear
noun
\ˈfir
Definition of fear
1a : an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger
b(1) : an instance of this emotion
(2) : a state marked by this emotion
2 : anxious concern : solicitude
3 : profound reverence and awe especially toward God
4 : reason for alarm : danger
Who Benefits?
The basis of many of my questions with regards to the media is, "Who benefits?" I am not one to immediately believe something only because a scientist or professor on high tells me it is truth. What are the facts? How did they come to these conclusions? And more importantly, who writes their paycheck?
In these times of click-bait articles, it is hard to find news that is balanced and objective. And whatever news we receive it is almost always tinged with some sort of fear-based propaganda. We go from one fear-based story to the next. No follow-up. No resolution. No way to know if there was a positive outcome, even from an initially negative story.
Less Finger-Pointing, More Communication
I am not here to establish blame, but I would like more discussion and research. Why are we on the path that we are on personally? How does that fit with the microcosm and macrocosm? I think that when we can drill down we might find that we are unfulfilled at our core. Why?
Humans are naturally social beings. Our current society has made it more and more difficult to come together as a people. We can have a similar (pop) cultural experience without even leaving our homes due to the advent of the radio and then the television. We can have similar discussions about a wide variety of topics and yet do any of them reflect the immediate climate of our communities? Do we even know the names of our neighbors?
We Fear What We Don't Know
I have heard more often in the last few years than ever in my 50 years on this planet, an almost disgust about "the other." People are "stupid" because of this or that perception. Are these perceptions based in reality or just what is viewed on their screens? Would we still be calling someone a derogatory term if we really knew them? Wouldn't we have empathy then?
We fear the unknown. It's easy to conjure up the very worst fears when we know nothing about the person or situation. I used to do this a lot when I was a child. It was the mechanism I used to deal with the unknown. I would prepare in my mind's eye the worst case scenarios so that I would be protected and aware. A bit over dramatic and childish...but I was a child then.
Know Thy Enemy
The enemy doesn't have to be you. We can reach out to the other person and find common ground. Our friends do not always have to look like us, talk like us, and think like us. We can have differences and yet be respectful. And as I have stated in the past, I have learned the most from those that have had many differing opinions than myself. We might not have seen eye-to-eye but we did listen with respect to the other's viewpoint.
Fear may be a natural emotion for self preservation but with a discerning eye one can discover if we are truly protecting ourselves from harm and when we are just afraid of the unknown. You never know, you might just discover in your brave acts of self-discovery a new friendship along the way. Life is a journey, why not approach it with an open hand and open heart?