What are you afraid of?

“Do I know the world only through my senses — is nothing innate?” (1) This question constantly buzzes around in my head. “Do I have significance: will the world I create through my actions have consequences? Will I die without my mission being fulfilled?” Apprehension seems to be everywhere in life. (2)

Fear is an emotion that comes to us far more easily than the feeling of love – though love, when experienced is much more powerful. I have contact with many people every week. More than a few, because they are young, share their negative thoughts about the world at large – how dangerous and evil it is. I inquire as to where this view comes from.

The reply is invariably related to accessing electronic media, mostly Internet-based. According to any news source, the world comprises an angst-driven reality. We are therefore forlorn and hapless beings waiting for our unforgiving fate. You would be hard-pressed not to suppose that this is the horrific reality of the world: pain, terror, and, ultimately, a meaningless death. This is the popular and traditional view.

However, I have great difficulty believing that the world is bleak and cynical. In the recent past, I traveled to Poland for Christmas. I flew from Taipei to Amsterdam and then transferred to Krakow. There was assiduous security in Taipei and a check and search, including some form of scanning machine, in Amsterdam: twice, I might add – once upon arrival at Schiphol Airport and once upon leaving. Those professors in “bureaucracy school” would have been proud of their pupils: diligent, meticulous, and resolute. Do I personally believe that there was any nefarious activity detected: I do not.

These systems, as bloated and procedural as they may be, are certainly designed to alleviate the fears of the journeying public, not catch the “bad guys.” There are no goblins hidden in the airplane overhead lockers. I simply ask a basic question: Have I ever been shot, stabbed, or blown up?” Do I know anyone who has been shot, stabbed, or blown up? Do I know anyone, who knows someone, who has been blown up? Do I know anyone, who knows anyone, who knows someone, who has been shot, stabbed, or blown up: ad infinitum? The answer is an invariable, “no.” Thus: what are you afraid of? To paraphrase FDR, (3) we only have to fear, fear itself.

The great psychologist and philosopher, Eric From, (4) leaves us with a thought: If other people do not understand our behavior — so what? Their request that we must only do what they understand is an attempt to dictate to us. If this is being “asocial or irrational” in their eyes, so be it. Mostly, they resent our freedom and our courage to be ourselves. We owe nobody an explanation or an accounting, as long as our acts do not hurt or infringe on them.

A closing thought: I am not naive: bad things happen in our ephemeral and fickle world. But, they have never happened to me and they have probably never happened to you. To me, life is a wonderful and precious occurrence. And, I am convinced, through my conscious existence, that it is probably the same for most human beings. Existence is not dominated by fear but inculcated with love, if we want this reality – if not, the choice is ours.

I subscribe to the school of thought that sentience is good, colorful, and exciting – at any age. In this way of thinking (devoid of mental illness), we choose the reality that we occupy: it does not choose us. If I want to be unhappy, I am. If I want to live tragically, I do. Conversely: if I want to live joyfully, regardless of my present circumstances, I can. (Parts of this essay were first published in 2017)

To sum up: This week, we explored the concept of being afraid.

To be noted: From John F. Kennedy (5) — Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.

Just for fun: