The Art Of Fear

And Jesus said, “Fear not, only believeвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚Ñœ

Fear is a pestilence. It poisons the mind, and paralyzes the body. It can easily mutate taking on the forms of paranoia and even phobias. It can manifest into an epidemic, spreading like a wildfire throughout our society. When put into natural situations, fear can act as a safety mechanism, which advises us to keep clear from danger, but when fear is manipulated by the wrong mediums, it can cause more harm than good.

What exactly is fear, and can one really put a single definition to it? The definition of fear is universal, varying from one culture to another. Simply put, fear is in the mind of the beholder, it’s an art in and of itselfÐ'¬Ð'¬Ð'¬Ð'¬. In American culture, the media, which I often refer to as the “Powerhouse of Mass Manipulation”, likes to dictate what we should fear-I call this “constructed fear”. These suggestions may range from fear of being overweight to “your neighbor might be a terrorist”. Speaking of terrorists, George Bush (haha get it?) used the fear of further terrorist attacks and weapons of mass destruction to fuel his tirade in Iraq. The American people blindly supported him and his war due to fear for their own safety. Only now, does the majority of Americans see through his smoke and mirrors when he comes out of Iraq empty handed. Perhaps Bush should have done his homework, he would have stumbled across the infamous Adolph who used the same trick, only he was successful.

Unbelievably, there is such a thing good fear, such as the fear of God. Those who fear God obey his rules, and obeying his rules means living a morally clean life. In other words, no harm comes from this fear. Another example is the fear of the authorities, those who fear the police don’t commit crimes, thus keeping out of jail. There is also a level of respect that comes with fearing God and the Police; when people rebel against these forces it not only shows disrespect but the fact that they do not fear someone higher then themselves.

Fear can

...