It would seem that way. There are a lot of world leaders or people running for leadership out there spreading fear and people are buying what they are selling. When people buy into that fear and become more nationalistic, that is when I start to fear. People on all political sides are attacked physically for believing what they do. There are terrorist groups that are successfully instilling fear into countries. We are taking their bait. We are becoming desperate to a group that will never be able to beat us physically. We can only defeat ourselves at this point, and I feel we are seeing that in action now. I’m not much of a trusting person by any means, but this level of distrust is depressing.
I don’t fear others. I have my own space and it comes with a right to vote and the right to carry a handgun.
There are Liberals that insult and resort to name calling and verbal spitting, but they can buzzsaw spin in their violence, rant, rave, hold protests, set fire to the city, smash the windows of local businesses, and stand out in traffic blocking other people from getting to where they need to go. The laws and police can handle it if they involve me in these temper tantrums. When all is said and done —- The President I voted for is the President and he is doing a good job. I stand back and watch it all play out. Sometimes, I pop some popcorn, so I will have something to snack on while I watch.
For the most part, the people I have contact with are sensible people that respect the President, even if they don’t agree with his policies. They don’t verbally attack others and there is nothing to fear from them.
In the selling of my California house, I did encounter a Muslim man who shouted and pounded the table as he scolded me, but if he had touched me while I was in fear of him, I would have cause to call the police to extract him from my personal space. In the end, I got myself away from him and now the neighbors in the neighborhood have their own problem with him. He is not my problem and I can live 368 miles away from the situation and —– yawn.
I don’t know, lol… I live in a bubble, so very hard for me to say.
I believe there is great division between the right and the left, but I look at American politics like Star Trek crew members looked at the politics of the worlds they would visit. Do not get involved. So, I am not afraid… or concerned when talking to people.
In my bubble, certainly, I never see anyone have any sort of fear whatsoever. Only time I ever saw anyone have even the appearance of fear was when I was in China and a guy I knew was shaking scared because the conference was full of Chinese spies, lol. And he was Chinese. But, they were relatively open enough, so I didn’t see anything to be scared of. However, he did end up in a mental institution, and China has very harsh punishments.
In the world, I do sometimes see behavior of fear with people, which is usually manifested by them acting overly brute and tough. Swaggers and ways of talking that does have a “toughness”, but to me signals that they are scared shitless.
That is “on the street” sort of observation, however, which seems to be related to the ever growing crime problem. Crime is down, but still very real and present.
I have personally had extreme fear in some situations in my life. Though, probably the better term I see is “fight or flight”. Not so much these days, but when some supernatural revelations were ramping up significantly, that was common.
I do not think fear is always because of ego.
Like anyone, I have some ego, albeit, I do tend to take such terminology with a huge grain of salt — including some of my favorite depicting the topography of the mind/heart, “the conscious” and “the unconscious”.
It is a trend. There are so many things right now feeding into dread and paranoia (media, politics, entertainment). Sometimes it’s justified, because people CAN be exceedingly wicked and nasty to one another. And even people who we register as “nice” can have a bad day, or “be triggered” by something in their past they have not effectively dealt with and people are “shocked”.
“He was such a quiet, friendly neighbor!” people tell the reporters after someone has gone out and committed some heinous crime.
And those words Isaiah spoke 2500 years ago prove monstrously prophetic: “A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five [an entire nation] will flee” (30:17)
But people are . . . just people. I know myself, and what I’m capable of when it comes to darkness. But more and more of late, I’m reminded of what I once was capable of and that I don’t go nearly as far down those thought-pathways of darkness before the Holy Spirit reigns me in. (The brighter the Light, the more the shadows have to retreat)
Knowing the darkness in you is the first step to not being “blindsided” by the darkness in others. One can allow for it, without fearing it. And if one has an effective philosophy of life and death, and the ability to forgive/heal from injury fear is managed.
One can then “afford” to be out and about, among people. Even people of very foreign ideologies. One can be actively seeking out those seeking pathways of Light and offer encouragement and support.
In my life philosophy and faith, even physical death is a “survivable condition”. So what have I to fear except for fear itself? A bright enough Light shining in and through you, means darkness need not be feared.
That is their “right”. And the consequence of persistence in darkness will also be “their right”.
But the message of Light is likened to a seed. We plant it but don’t make it grow. And sometimes we don’t even realize we’ve planted something that years later, might take root and grow.
We should have a healthy respect for others’ boundaries… but outright fear? Maybe not. We all have our problems, but some of which we bring on ourselves (as mankind, not specifically of this group). People bring guns where they shouldn’t. But one thing: criminals are stupid. The moment they threaten to do something with a weapon that ends in a standoff with police there are only 2 outcomes: their death or imprisonment. The police will hunt the person down to the ends of the earth to stop them. Even if they somehow escape, they’ll ALWAYS be “wanted” and on the run from the law.
I sort of feel like people are becoming afraid of conflict. Like real life, let’s talk it out, have at a strong debate, maybe find compromise, maybe we won’t, but there’s this problem that we should talk about, conflict. I feel like we tend to seek out those who agree with our stance on things and just stick with it. I don’t think that we venture into areas that make us uncomfortable….unless it’s with numbers.
14 responses to “There’s nothing to fear except…each other?”
It would seem that way. There are a lot of world leaders or people running for leadership out there spreading fear and people are buying what they are selling. When people buy into that fear and become more nationalistic, that is when I start to fear. People on all political sides are attacked physically for believing what they do. There are terrorist groups that are successfully instilling fear into countries. We are taking their bait. We are becoming desperate to a group that will never be able to beat us physically. We can only defeat ourselves at this point, and I feel we are seeing that in action now. I’m not much of a trusting person by any means, but this level of distrust is depressing.
Yeah, i agree with pretty much all you wrote, and to me, the fear, at least here in America is reaching unprecedented levels.
I disagree.
Huh???
Yeah!
I think what people fear most is change…
The LEFT is throwing a tantrum because the 8 year liberal gravy train has been derailed by the TRUMP TRAIN.
#########WHOOOWHOOO######################
I don’t fear others. I have my own space and it comes with a right to vote and the right to carry a handgun.
There are Liberals that insult and resort to name calling and verbal spitting, but they can buzzsaw spin in their violence, rant, rave, hold protests, set fire to the city, smash the windows of local businesses, and stand out in traffic blocking other people from getting to where they need to go. The laws and police can handle it if they involve me in these temper tantrums. When all is said and done —- The President I voted for is the President and he is doing a good job. I stand back and watch it all play out. Sometimes, I pop some popcorn, so I will have something to snack on while I watch.
For the most part, the people I have contact with are sensible people that respect the President, even if they don’t agree with his policies. They don’t verbally attack others and there is nothing to fear from them.
In the selling of my California house, I did encounter a Muslim man who shouted and pounded the table as he scolded me, but if he had touched me while I was in fear of him, I would have cause to call the police to extract him from my personal space. In the end, I got myself away from him and now the neighbors in the neighborhood have their own problem with him. He is not my problem and I can live 368 miles away from the situation and —– yawn.
I don’t know, lol… I live in a bubble, so very hard for me to say.
I believe there is great division between the right and the left, but I look at American politics like Star Trek crew members looked at the politics of the worlds they would visit. Do not get involved. So, I am not afraid… or concerned when talking to people.
In my bubble, certainly, I never see anyone have any sort of fear whatsoever. Only time I ever saw anyone have even the appearance of fear was when I was in China and a guy I knew was shaking scared because the conference was full of Chinese spies, lol. And he was Chinese. But, they were relatively open enough, so I didn’t see anything to be scared of. However, he did end up in a mental institution, and China has very harsh punishments.
In the world, I do sometimes see behavior of fear with people, which is usually manifested by them acting overly brute and tough. Swaggers and ways of talking that does have a “toughness”, but to me signals that they are scared shitless.
That is “on the street” sort of observation, however, which seems to be related to the ever growing crime problem. Crime is down, but still very real and present.
I see fear quite a bit. I see fear as the opposite of love. I also see that the ego program is a master at keeping people afraid.
What do you see as the “ego program”?
I have personally had extreme fear in some situations in my life. Though, probably the better term I see is “fight or flight”. Not so much these days, but when some supernatural revelations were ramping up significantly, that was common.
I do not think fear is always because of ego.
Like anyone, I have some ego, albeit, I do tend to take such terminology with a huge grain of salt — including some of my favorite depicting the topography of the mind/heart, “the conscious” and “the unconscious”.
It is a trend. There are so many things right now feeding into dread and paranoia (media, politics, entertainment). Sometimes it’s justified, because people CAN be exceedingly wicked and nasty to one another. And even people who we register as “nice” can have a bad day, or “be triggered” by something in their past they have not effectively dealt with and people are “shocked”.
“He was such a quiet, friendly neighbor!” people tell the reporters after someone has gone out and committed some heinous crime.
And those words Isaiah spoke 2500 years ago prove monstrously prophetic: “A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five [an entire nation] will flee” (30:17)
But people are . . . just people. I know myself, and what I’m capable of when it comes to darkness. But more and more of late, I’m reminded of what I once was capable of and that I don’t go nearly as far down those thought-pathways of darkness before the Holy Spirit reigns me in. (The brighter the Light, the more the shadows have to retreat)
Knowing the darkness in you is the first step to not being “blindsided” by the darkness in others. One can allow for it, without fearing it. And if one has an effective philosophy of life and death, and the ability to forgive/heal from injury fear is managed.
One can then “afford” to be out and about, among people. Even people of very foreign ideologies. One can be actively seeking out those seeking pathways of Light and offer encouragement and support.
In my life philosophy and faith, even physical death is a “survivable condition”. So what have I to fear except for fear itself? A bright enough Light shining in and through you, means darkness need not be feared.
What about if you’re offering encouragement and support, but those that are experiencing the darkness continue to do the behaviors, no matter what?
That is their “right”. And the consequence of persistence in darkness will also be “their right”.
But the message of Light is likened to a seed. We plant it but don’t make it grow. And sometimes we don’t even realize we’ve planted something that years later, might take root and grow.
We should have a healthy respect for others’ boundaries… but outright fear? Maybe not. We all have our problems, but some of which we bring on ourselves (as mankind, not specifically of this group). People bring guns where they shouldn’t. But one thing: criminals are stupid. The moment they threaten to do something with a weapon that ends in a standoff with police there are only 2 outcomes: their death or imprisonment. The police will hunt the person down to the ends of the earth to stop them. Even if they somehow escape, they’ll ALWAYS be “wanted” and on the run from the law.
I sort of feel like people are becoming afraid of conflict. Like real life, let’s talk it out, have at a strong debate, maybe find compromise, maybe we won’t, but there’s this problem that we should talk about, conflict. I feel like we tend to seek out those who agree with our stance on things and just stick with it. I don’t think that we venture into areas that make us uncomfortable….unless it’s with numbers.