An Era of Fear

“Neither a man nor a crowd nor a nation can be trusted to act humanely or to think sanely under the influence of a great fear.” ~Bertrand Russell

Viruses, Murder Hornets, locust swarms, racism, civil unrest, toilet paper shortage, food shortage, microchip shortage, wood shortage, gas shortage, chlorine shortage, mass shootings, stock market volatility, climate change, and double, triple masks.

So much fear. So much to worry about. So much to destroy your peace of mind.

Somebody, help me. Somebody guide me. Tell me what to do!

This is where we live as a species. In an Era of Fear.

We hear it on the radio, we see it on TV, we learn about it on social media and we are told to be concerned about it by our employer. “Wash your hands, quarantine, and social distance.”

We are facing a global shortage of [fill in the blank]. So what do we do? We buy as much as we can of said product and create a real shortage.

Toilet paper shortage? “Fine, I’ll buy 10 Costco-sized cases of it just in case.” Gas shortage? “Okay, I’ll fill up my gas tank, spare gas containers, and even plastic bags….just in case.”

Get the vaccine so that you don’t have to worry about getting sick. Wait…now a booster is needed. Now a 2nd, 3rd…

Will we get another stimulus check? Is inflation going to make the dollar worthless?

We‘re constantly fed a steady stream of fear. Tailored for our consumption. Is the economy not your flavor? That’s okay, we’ve got murder bees.

Not Designed for Fear

We have evolved to become expert survivalists. Our brains are amazing at spotting potential dangers. Most of our anxieties are just remnants of our caveman days when real danger lurked around every corner.

But, we are no longer living in a pure survival age. We’ve entered a thriving age. Our purpose is not to survive but to live life to its fullest.

Yes, of course, we use sound judgment when faced with a threat. However, we don’t need to live in this constant state of fear. Fear’s real purpose is to, initially, draw our attention to a threat but then allow for our rational minds to dismiss those that are irrational — threats that are low risk, improbable, or ludicrous.

Fear Makes You Sick

Stress forces your adrenal glands to release cortisol, “the stress hormone”. Too much cortisol can lead to bad things happening —things like weight gain, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, weakened immune system, mood swings, diabetes, and much more.

Why are we deliberately exposed to so much fear in this world?

Why does it seem like this is that all we hear about in the news, on the radio, and on social media? Why is it always the topic at hand?

Well…

You’ve heard that sex sells, right? Have you heard that fear compels?

A few summers ago, we built a fire pit in our back yard. Whenever we have a family campfire, I try to go above and beyond to scare my four-year-old about the dangers of playing with fire.

I’ve done it so many times now that she starts telling me why its so dangerous, even before I mention it. I don’t know if it’s wise but I scare her with the worst-case scenarios that could happen to her if she ever did.

Fear is useful when you’re trying to influence someone’s behavior. We tell our children about the dangers of fire, drugs, drinking, and driving because we don’t want them to be safe. We create as much fear as we can surrounding the consequences, so that we can influence their behavior just enough to prevent tragedy.

It’s About Control

The problem is that others are still trying to influence our behavior. They do this to line their pockets. To acquire more power. To control us.

They try to leverage our fear.

And often, they‘re successful because of our tendency to trust institutions of authority. Especially when paired with keywords like, “studies”, “science”, “experts” and “fact checkers”.

Advertisers use it to sell products and services, administrations use it to pass agendas, nonprofits use it to raise money, political leaders use it to create distrust in political challengers and world organizations use it to influence national policies.

Fear is powerful because it plays off our most ancient and natural instincts. The fear of what’s beyond the fire, under the water, or over the next mountain ridge. This is at the core of our earliest, but still present, mind.

At one time, our fear was vital for survival but in today’s world, its a liability.

This is because it makes us vulnerable. It makes us susceptible to the influence of bad actors.

When our ancestors roamed the earth fear kept them alive because the threats were real and significant. Threats like starvation, preditors and neanderthals. Pure survival.

Today the enemy is greed, power, and influence. Their tools are manipulation, intimidation, and ostrazation.

Their tool is fear.

But Wait. I have a cure. Stay tuned.