I enjoyed what you said and it is well put. Sometimes a verification let some know that others think somewhat the same way.
On Mon, Aug 9, 2010 at 9:40 AM, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > ..............how do we confront a level of fear that > allows us to get past it and function more fully without stripping > away that portion which keeps us from being vanquished by the world? > > As individual units we can adjust our sense of fear accordingly and > within the parameters of our environmental circumstance but as a > global society I don't see anything changing for the better or for the > worse. Global fears would have to be replaced with global trusts in > order to circumvent what seems to have been the mode de jeur for > centuries. Private gated communities have established a secluded > sense of trust within the confines of the community but the presence > of the gates themselves indicate the distrust of all that lies beyond > the perimeter. Fear has grown over the past several years with the > ever growing terrorist threat. Neighbors are increasingly looking at > others around them as potential threats as homeland security pushes to > expose homegrown terror. The economic landslide, post the subprime > mortgage scenario, is a wake up call for many who never thought they > had anything to fear; losing home, job and a good life is a reality. > Meanwhile millions of illegal immigrants continue to leach off the > public coffers further depleting the resources that once sustained the > country. George Bernard Shaw “You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ > But I dream things that never were; and I say, “Why not?". This in > all reality can change things but I'm not sure that people are still > capable of dreaming and bringing those dreams to fruition. We have > become sullen and morose and complacently waiting for things to change > on their own or trusting others to make the changes. Soap box > politicians are still leading us down the path of delusion without any > real change and we are stuck in a quagmire of stagnation politics. > The whole of it needs revamping as is the case with any revolution. > Governments wield the power to make real change but have only indulged > those in the world of high finance and capitalist gain; I think > capitalism breeds fear. From Pat in another thread: ".........there's > a moral wealth > that is completely ignored by the ruthlessness of applied capitalism. > Capitalism divides society into 2 parts: the rich and the poor. > Socialism, to some extent, tries to redress the balance and bring that > excess 'wealth' back into a useful form for society's poor. If > America doesn't try to protect the well-being of its own poor, then > they will be forced to defend themselves against an enemy government, > and, the Declaration of Independence, whilst NOT the Constitution, > still lays down a framework granting justification for such a self- > defence if presented with "...a long chain of abuses and usurpations > pursuing, invariably, the same object, evinces a design to reduce them > under absolute despotism...". > As a proponent of capitalism I don't think you would agree with the > premise or the outcome but for sure it is or should be considered as > one element underlying the climate of global fear. > > > On Aug 8, 2:01 pm, gruff <[email protected]> wrote: > > Sure, times are tough for the average person but that’s no reason to > > get nasty about it. I know it’s legend that people used to be much > > nicer to each other but I’ve no idea if that legend has any validity > > or basis in reality. > > > > I can believe that rural folks were much nicer to each other and more > > concerned with each others welfare. But the country was much bigger > > and our population much smaller back then. That lack of crowding led > > to conditions that made people behave better toward each other (with > > some exceptions as we shall see.) > > > > Back in that day, people in a rural community also had the same > > background, heritage, religion and values, which lent to a common > > concern for each other. Today most communities, even some of the more > > rural ones, are a homogeneous mix of race, culture, religion and > > values, all of which tend to make people a bit more wary of each > > other. Or at best it makes them distant from oneself. Makes one more > > stand-offish. > > > > If there is one significant characteristic all species seem to share > > it is a general xenophobia – a fear of anything unknown or new, a fear > > of strangers. Many blame it on being driven from heaven but > > regardless it’s source, as we have with so many of nature’s built-in > > protections, our species has taken xenophobia to heretofore undreamed > > levels. We even create things to fear – vampires, ghouls and such. > > And there are far too many of us even to afraid to look themselves in > > the eye in a mirror. It took me till I was in my late thirties and > > had some therapy under my belt to accomplish that little feat. > > > > I can believe some of the legend of nice people because I can recall > > times when I would be overcome with an urge to perform some > > spontaneous act of kindness and the response was generally thanks and > > gratitude or at the very least a smile and a nod. Today when I try a > > gratuitous kindness I am too often looked at with suspicion – as > > though I had some hidden agenda. I don’t do it very often anymore. > > I’m no hero. > > > > Our politics these days seems to run more on hate than I can remember > > in seventy years of the stuff even though I only paid attention for > > the last two decades. Sure, politics is the arena most likely to > > evoke emotional reactions but anymore it seems like those emotions > > boil over into a darker place in us. One that removes all trace of > > concern for each other and replaces it with aggression, fear, lies and > > hatred. > > > > Yet these facets of human behavior are not too hard to understand. > > After all we’ve come from a very frightening past and certainly still > > carry a lot of those fears with us. But there is a new dimension to > > our xenophobia, a new level we’ve taken it to that is beyond anything > > rationally acceptable as a survival instinct. In spite of commonly > > available knowledge we fear differences in each other that we know (or > > should know) are false. > > > > But to borrow a Gumpism, fear is as fear does and most frequently it > > is fear itself which drives itself to higher levels of intensity. > > Remember Roosevelt’s admonishment? “We have nothing to fear but fear > > itself.” I don’t think many realized the eternalness of that truth. > > > > Lies are virtually always rooted in fear which accounts for the > > overwhelming number of them being floated about these days. Fear of > > not appearing a certain way, fear of not being what we think we should > > be, fear of accepting responsibility, fear of the consequences of both > > acting and inaction. Fear drives most of Madison Avenue’s best > > creations: Fear that you smell, that you don’t look good, that your > > teeth are not white enough, that your skin’s not smooth and blemish > > free, that your medical condition needs a cover up, that you need the > > newer drug, that your children are too fat, too thin, too disturbed, > > too talkative, too … anything. Superficial fears all. > > > > A new aspect to commercials I’ve noticed is the disdain they show for > > civil behavior: the shopper who leaves her no longer wanted pain > > killers in the basket in the aisle, the man who treats children > > cruelly and dishonestly, the executive with not enough sense to know > > that if he fell on the lizard it would crush their main advertising > > gimmick. The list goes on. Any fool can pick out the commercials > > that are destructive to society and civilization: virtually all of > > them. There are few commercials that are constructive and honest and > > fewer yet that are even creative and entertaining. > > > > Right now the two biggest fears clutching our hearts are jobs and the > > economy. Following closely on their heels come two wars, the deficit, > > health care and the future of our nation. Some may change that order > > but I think it’s fair to say that those are among the Top Ten. > > > > To my thinking the most dangerous aspect of this out-of-control fear > > that is driving a lot of our behavior is that it blocks clear thinking > > which is the key to finding solutions. This is easily seen in some of > > the bizarre options people, pundits and politicians are spewing. > > > > We expect our judges to put aside their personal feelings and rule on > > issues and events based on the evidence and the law. Would that we > > could even come close to that ideal in our individual and public lives > > we might be much further along than we are. But on the other hand can > > we afford to do less? > > > > President Obama would probably gain a few points in the polls were he > > to come out and demand responsibility of the citizens to and for each > > other, our society and the government. Push responsibility. Demand > > it. Accept no less. A side benefit might be that more people would > > come to meet their responsibilities as rational and honest citizens of > > a civilized society. Wouldn’t that be nice. And I bet people would > > start to be nicer to each other again – if we ever did, that is. > > > > While a nice dream it does not get us any closer to the core problem > > of xenophobia. Classic psychology and the wisdom of ages teaches that > > it’s best to confront a fear head on. It’s a method that I recommend > > but it does not work easily. The easiest fears to see are the > > superficial ones we used to mask our deeper more real fears. > > Superficial fears include those which commercials are designed to > > salve. > > > > In chasing this grail, I recall back in the early seventies Primal > > Scream therapy became popular because it allegedly allowed us to go > > back and visit that first primal moment we became swaddled in fear, > > the first event or thought that wrapped us in a core cocoon for > > protection. > > > > With most people it didn’t work to well if at all, but with others it > > worked only too well. Those who had the necessary self-awareness and > > empathy were able to go back to that primal moment and experience that > > initial fear as we did back then. This led to the title reaction in > > most people of those achieving it; a primal scream. It has been said > > that John Lennon and Paul McCartney both went through it. Ringo as > > might be expected couldn’t make it. I don’t know about the other > > one. > > > > Confronting that fear with the intellect of an adult allowed all the > > defenses they’d built up to be stripped away. They were as > > defenseless, trusting and happy as a newborn babe. But regardless the > > heavenly Eden-like aspect of it, it was not the best condition to > > allow that person to function in the real world. > > > > The world requires a certain amount of defensiveness and aggression in > > order to function within the societies we have created. Perhaps in > > some far distant future when humankind has evolved sufficiently we can > > have a society where no defenses or aggression is needed. But that’s > > not today. > > > > So the begging question is how do we confront a level of fear that > > allows us to get past it and function more fully without stripping > > away that portion which keeps us from being vanquished by the world? > > > > For those who deny fear, please go stand in the corner. I don’t care > > if your nose is growing. Keep your face pointed up or down. And run > > your mental anti-virus. > > > > \et >
