Fear is a disease that eats away at logic and makes man inhuman. – Marian Anderson
If you were watching movies in the late 1970’s and into the 1980’s, you probably have a fear of sharks. But what would you do if you were in the water at a beach and saw one?
What does that mean?
Fear. The very word scares some people. That isn’t so bad. However, sometimes, that fear causes them to act in a way that’s not particularly appropriate. Usually it is quite illogical.
Sometimes, though, the fear really digs in deep and warps the person to the point where they are willing to do terrible things. They might even do things which are wildly out of character for that person. All because of the impact of a deep, lasting, unresolved fear.
And that is where fear becomes a disease. When it gets deep inside of you, and you can’t shake it, kind of like a bad chest cold that won’t go away. Unfortunately, like that cold, fear can be passed from person to person, and even generation to generation. Fear has been called many things, but this quote calls it a sickness, and it’s hard to argue with the logic.
Why is knowing what you fear important?
This post is about an irrational or illogical fear. The fear of someone because of their looks or the color of their skin. Even the fear in the famous book (and movies) of Dr Frankenstein’s Monster falls into this category, at least in my opinion.
The problem with fear like this is the mob mentality that often accompanies it. Whether it’s villagers with torches and pitchforks, lynch mobs out for blood, or vigilantes who are all stirred up, they are afraid for what they hold dear, and are willing to defy logic and even humanity to preserve it.
However, we are usually pretty level headed people, aren’t we? We should be able to face the more trivial fears in our lives and face them. We should be able to remain calm and collected and deal with the situation
Where can I apply this in my life?
To me, the prime example of this quote is the modern, media driven, lynch mob. Because a newspaper, TV show, or a YouTube clip shows something (usually edited and out of context), the person is obviously guilty, let’s get them right now!
What happened to logic? Where is the humanity in such an action? Whether it’s riots after an unpopular verdict at the trial, or reactions to the crime in the first place, the fear is eating away at the people and spreading like a disease.
Fear as a reason for riots? Yes, I believe so. While there are probably as many exact reasons for a riot as there are rioters, there is a fear that the same thing could happen to them. They are often acting out, striking randomly at anything they associate with the things they fear.
Other times, the fear is that the person might get away with what they did, and go on to do it again. There are plenty of recent examples, and some very famous ones from a decade or two back. A deeply held fear, coupled with large numbers of people is never going to end well.
The point of the preceding paragraphs is to get you thinking about what might get you so fearful that you might join in a mob? What might strike such fear into you that you would do something illogical, horrible, even inhuman? It has happened in the past, and will continue to happen in the future.
What could strike so much fear into you that you’d do something illogical? There are people in the news who are first-time bank robbers. No past criminal history. They were in danger of bankruptcy, of losing their home or their car, and that fear caused them to snap.
To me, the biggest advantage we have over fear is logic. The problem is fear tends to drive out logic. That means you have to work on understanding your fear, and plan to manage it, when you aren’t afraid. But to do that, you have to examine your life, right?
Not many people enjoy looking in the darkened corners where fear likes to hide. Yet to understand yourself and what you might do in the grip of fear, you need to do just that. But you can start a little lighter by thinking about all the scary movies you have ever watched.
Which things bring out the most fear? Besides the creepy music, that is. Is it the anticipation, knowing something is going to happen soon, but not seeing it coming? Perhaps it’s a specific animal, like a shark? Would you climb over someone else to get away from the shark? Is that logical or humane?
I will leave you to your contemplation without a specific plan today. But please consider what you fear, and how you would react in these situations. And strive to find ways to deal with your fear before it becomes a disease and prods you into illogical and inhumane actions.
From: Twitter, @MaheshNBhatt
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/marianande131749.html
Photo by Gustty
Happy Birthday to Marian Anderson, born 27 February, 1897 – according to her birth certificate. (Throughout her life she gave her birth-date as 17 February, 1902)
PS – For those who read yesterday’s post, this is the lady who finally broke the color barrier and got to sing Opera at the Met, on 7 January, 1955; a feat yesterday’s singer couldn’t quite manage. Eventually, the fear is driven back, and logic and humanity win the day.
