The Power of Fear

Half the fun of living is trying to figure out my existence. As I go through life, I am constantly peeling away layers of a great onion, trying to get to the bottom of it all. By far, I feel the most complex aspect of humanity is our relationship with religion. Humans appear to have incredible spiritual needs, and I found that religion is used by people in dozens of different ways. One thing that continually perplexes me is what is really "God" and what is human made.

Hmmm, tonight let's just talk about fear, which definitely seems to be more human made. Companies, governments, and religious leaders are all masters at manipulating and subjugating people by working the "FEAR BUTTONS" installed in each of us. The purpose of the fear is to get us to do irrational things that benefit THEM at our EXPENSE. For instance, in 1999, some religious leaders hyped up the Y2K threat because they knew that fear brings in revenue. How do I know this? My own mother was victimized twice in schemes. The prophesy preachers she constantly listened too told her all about the bank failures, water system failures. and the total breakdown of society that would occur when the clock hit 12:01 a.m., January 1, 2000.

Without consulting me, my mother paid big bucks for a Y2K "survival kit" that she saw advertised in a RELIGIOUS publication. It was full of dried food and empty kerosene cans. She made me fill them with kerosene at a gas station. Now, they are sitting in the shed. The insides of the CHEAP cans are rusting and the liquid inside is brown. Eventually, they will rust through. Worse yet, my mom was duped into investing her life savings in a viatical scam. What is a viatical? It is a deal where you purchase the life insurance policy of a terminally ill patient, and they get a percentage of the money up front. Upon their death, and when the life insurance policy pays, you get your money back plus a return on your investment. The whole thing is sick because you are betting that a sick person will die. My mom found the ad in a CHRISTIAN newsletter, and said the company was CHRISTIAN, so she trusted them. Yeah, right.

IT WAS FEAR THAT DID IT!

Every day people live with the fear of going to hell, getting blown up by terrorists, getting attacked by boogeymen, getting shot by psychos, and the list is endless. Then there are more subtle fears, like the fear of acceptance, the fear of rejection, etc...

FEAR MAKES YOU A PRISONER!

Fear keeps us all from thinking rationally, it keeps us off balance, it keeps us as slaves.

So, today, I urge everyone to break away from the irrational fears. Question what you are afraid of. Do the research, find the facts, and don't just cower in ignorance. Find creative solutions to address your fears. If the preacher says you are going to hell for not putting enough money in the plate, question that. If people who are from different races and ethnic backgrounds scare you, get to know them. If you fear terrorism, read books, watch documentaries, and discover the ROOT CAUSES of this evil. Right, yes, EDUCATION is the antidote to fear. And ASKING QUESTIONS is the cure for fear too.

As for the scammers who took advantage of my poor widowed mother, I am angry. When Tom Ridge issues his red alerts, yellow alerts, orange alerts, and whatever alert, I wonder if I'm being manipulated or if there is a legitimate danger. How far has my government gone with using 9/11 to manipulate the public? They certainly used it to make their case for the Iraq invasion.

Don't buy into this fear crap. You are not going to hell just because you are not the RIGHT religion. The whole world will NOT collapse due to a computer chip error. Yes, there are legitimate fears, but learn to sort it all out. Don't allow yourself to become paranoid and a victim. Take charge of your fears and challenge the fearmongers.

Sleep well, make sure your loaded Smith & Wesson is under your pillow, and don't have a nightmare that might make you smash your head into the pillow. If you tend to do this, at least make sure the barrel is pointed toward the wall.