Do we all live in fear?

[The2ndWheel]

I'm not just talking about the people who think Big J is coming back and have wars to prove it.

We all fear old age, so we plan our retirements.

We fear getting sick or hurt(or a house fire, or whatever else), and fear the amount of money it will cost us, so we buy insurance.

We fear nature, so we do anything and everything to control it.

The list goes on.

Are we all just running around scared? Will we ever run out of things to be scared of? Can we somehow socially program fear out of the human condition? Would that be a good idea? Is the question completely off base? Am I looking at things incorrectly? Inquiring minds want to know.

[SteppingRazor]

1. I think you're a bit off base: Fear can be a good thing.

Rational fear -- such as planning for retirement out of fear of being destitute in old age -- is perfectly reasonable.

It's irrational fear -- fearing that Saddam Hussein has WMDs that he can launch at the U.S. wityhin 45 minutes, for example -- that's the problem.

I think the idea that all fear is bad is definitely a mistaken one.

[nam78_two]

4. you hit the nail on the head/nt

[LWolf]

15. That's not fear.

That's common sense. I don't prepare for retirement out of fear, but out of the unalterable fact that, if I live to retirement, it's my responsibility to be prepared for it.

Fear is irrational. Caution when faced with risk is rational. Common sense is rational. I don't have to be afraid to be cautious or to practice common sense.

[SteppingRazor]

16. I agree. I was just citing one of the examples of fear provided in the OP

n/t

[SheilaT]

2. Speaking only for myself,

I do not live in fear.

Planning for retirement does not mean you fear old age. It means you can plan ahead. Same with buying insurance.

I personally find that the older I get, the more fearless I am. NEVER mess with a menopausal woman.

[villager]

3. as a kid, I came to realize the entire economy/social structure

is built on fear. That's the only reason people keep going to shitty jobs they hate.

Once you remove "fear," the elites can't control anyone. So removing "fear" is in fact the single most revolutionary act there is. As per "V for Vendetta," que no?

[niyad]

5. speaking for myself, I refuse to live in fear--no matter what the

situation is, because then the bastards have won.

planning and being sensible is not fear, common sense is not fear, either.

[H2O Man]

6. No.

Fear has an evolutionary role, but it is frequently our enemy in modern society. People tend to live in anxiety and fear, as the result of their enemy lying to them. If you are an American citizen, then it is safe to say your enemy has been lying to you since grade school.

It's not a coincidence that the enlightened human beings, from Buddha to Jesus to Gandhi and King all said, "Do not be afraid." Learn the Truth, and it will set you free from fear.

[JeffR]

7. "Fear is the mind killer" - Frank Herbert

eom

[sui generis]

9. and about that

I love Frank Herbert but it really annoyed the simulflow out of me that his bene gesserit witches who could control every micro muscle in their body would even have the capacity to experience "fear", much less need to recite that trite little jingle.

just thought it was an odd thing; out of place in that context. :shrug:

[JeffR]

10. True

I think Frank just wanted an excuse to work it in somewhere...

[pitohui]

8. fear is necessary to a good life, it is a motivator

all healthy animals have the capacity for fear, the fearless animal is pretty soon somebody else's dinner

fear is a motivator for looking at the future so that we will be spurred to avoid bad outcomes

the kid who doesn't look both ways before he crosses the street, knowing that his machismo and his 'tude will protect him, has a way bigger chance of ending up in a wheelchair -- or dead -- than i do

the adult who doesn't bother to file his taxes because he figures the irs will never mess w. him anyway has a far bigger chance of ending up in jail than i do

the adult who is fearless about living for day and thus doesn't save for old age has a greater chance of ending up in the basement with one of his resentful daughters-in-law than i do

and so on, you can do the math

welcome fear, it is your friend

now if fear is completely overwhelming and makes your life miserable because it's become toxic, well, there can be too much of a good thing, and you have a mental health issue so see a medical professional or another skilled advisor to get help with that

[Codeblue]

13. I disagree

I think it would be unwise to attempt to condition fear out of the human psyche for good. Think about all of the deaths that would result from humans having no fear.

There would be no fear of repercussions from ANYTHING, and that includes wars without reason and such. We'd have Presidents like Bush all the time, never afraid to "go it alone" and declare war on the next country to piss him off.

However, I think we're all afraid of the wrong things. We're afraid of being poor, of getting sick and having no insurance to pay the medical bills and so forth. I personally do not have insurance of any type right now because I'm too poor to pay for it every month. But you know what? It doesn't bother me. I don't even think about insurance. I may have to be paying off medical bills for the rest of my life if something happens, but they won't let me die. They'll treat me regardless. And if they don't...oh well. I'll be dead so it won't really matter whether they treated me or not. I won't care cause I'll be dead.

I'm going to have to pay off my student loans forever, but that doesn't bother me. I went to school and learned what I wanted to learn. If it doesn't get me anywhere, oh well. I'm better for the experience and I could care less about paying off student loans forever. I did what I wanted to do and that's what matters to me.

We're so afraid that we all live these conservative lives, never doing anything because we're afraid we'll lose all of our money or some such thing. That's ridiculous frankly. We've all been caged in by our minds, minds filled with fear. There is a place for fear, but I don't think we've been placing it where it belongs.

[RufusEarl]

11. "No Fear" Hey that would make a good slogan !

:sarcasm:

[sinkingfeeling]

12. I can't think of anything I'm really afraid of except snakes. I don't

believe having health insurance or a retirement plan indicates fear of illness or old age.

[sarge43]

14. Because we make sensible preparations for the possible, the probable

and the inevitable, this doesn't mean we're afraid.

Further, reasonable fear is not undesirable; it stops us from being stupid or reckless.

[sweetheart]

17. fear for survival, reproduction and social acceptance

The physical paradigms of scarcity and animal nature to survive are bound in to this "fear"
you're speaking about, and as such, paradigms threatened by death of the ego, awakening.

[BluePatriot]

18. I don't know if we all live in fear

...but I do know that fear is used very effectively as a control tactic by those currently in power. So, it's in their interest to keep fear around, and I doubt it will ever be rid of totally.

Besides, sometimes fear can be healthy, and keep us from doing dumb things.

[Skidmore]

19. The "fear" in America derives from the belief that Americans

are entitled to a certain lifestyle and to be young forever. We pretend that poverty doesn't exist and will accrue staggering debt to maintain ostentatious houses, multiple vehicles, and all kids of doodads. We slather ourselves with lotions and chemicals and nip and tuck rather than look our ages then wonder why we don't have a miracle drug to cure cancer. We blow all of our income on the efemeral to preserve a facade of wealth and prosperity. We label our emotional states and our actual contacts with real adversity somehow becomes a phobia or a syndrome, and we never truly learn how to cope with reality--unless you are poor, of course, and then you don't extist. Inside we are rotting away--as human beings and as a culture. I have seen no other nation engage in this type of self-destructive behavior. That rot can be labeled fear, but is probably better labeled stupidity.