Fear is the enemy. How many times have I written about that on this blog? From the Bible* to FDR**, warnings against the power of fear have been my persistent theme in support of unity, security, and progress.
A New York Times essay by Sabrina Tavernise (January 29, 2021) derives from the experience of a professional woman and mother caught up online in the conspiracy theories of QAnon.
Mr. Trump may be gone from government, but Ms. Perron believes that the ground is still fertile for conspiracy theories because many of the underlying conditions are the same: widespread distrust of authority, anger at powerful figures in politics and in the news media, and growing income inequality.
Unless there are major changes, Ms. Perron said, the craving will continue.
“Trump just used us and our fear,” she said. “When you are no longer living in fear, you are no longer prone to believe this stuff. I don’t think we are anywhere near that yet.”
In America now, we have moved from fear of “Big Government” sucking up resources and regulating our lives to the fear that people with guns will invade the Capitol and murder members of Congress. Oh wait. That’s not just a vague “fear.” That actually happened. Through the power of lies and gossip and fear, it could happen again.
As a citizen of this country, what are you afraid of? Name it, please. Name the fear and name the agencies and individuals causing or promoting that fear. What you can name, you can take civil steps to confront: by your voice, by your vote, by your refusal to let fear blind you to your power—your power to take action in ways other than violence.
How does the idea of health care for everyone cause you to fear? How does the right of every citizen to vote cause you to fear? How does access to abortion cause you to fear? How do efforts to advance the cause of environmental protection cause you to fear? How does public education cause you to fear? How does a group of people not like you cause you to fear? You might try substituting the word “Why?”
Freedom is pretty good notion, embraced by our Constitution as “liberty.” Yet most people do not rear their children with unlimited liberty. Your toddler can’t be trusted to stay out of the cookie jar, the medicine cabinet, or the busy street. Nor should we think that liberty without limits is good for a nation. Ramp that up to government officials, industrial czars, thugs with guns, and religious enforcers. Lines have to be drawn, with compassion, common sense, and a view to future life. When the lines of love are clear, fear gives way to freedom.
Fear not. Figure out what and whom you love. Put your priorities of love to work in positive ways to make those major changes that will be good for us all.
*I’ve read that the phrase “Don’t be afraid” or some variation of it appears in the Bible 365 times—good counsel for every day of the year.
**Famously, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” FDR–1933 Inaugural Address
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
― Frank Herbert, Dune
Well, I’m plenty afraid. The QAnon theory of drinking children’s blood is classical anti-semitism. For centuries, Jews have been slaughtered because of this kind of belief. And today I heard that Rep. Greene is spreading the idea that space lasers are coming to earth to start forest fires. And now it’s Jewish space lasers. Too wacky for anyone to believe. Maybe not. Does this scare me? You betcha.
What I fear is fear itself.
When I lived in a city (New Orleans), I was very much afraid of crime. This means, I suppose, that I should have been working hard for better schools, gun control, prison reform, police reform, better drug laws, and full employment. It was easier to move to a small town.