The Only Thing We Have To Fear...

The year is 1933.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is speaking, delivering his first Inaugural address.

The country is in ruins. The Great Depression is at its worst. People are suffering terribly. The nation has spoken, and elected this man of wit and charm and nebulous hope, to be the most powerful man in Western civilization. Anid that heinous episode in our history, one statement rings out clearly, and continues to ring until this day:

"The only thing we have to fear is, fear itself."

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The year is 2009.

President Barrack Hussein Obama is speaking, delivering his first Inaugural address.

The economic recession is deepening, causing some in the media to dare mention the word "depression". People are losing their jobs at an astonishing rate. The employment rate is dropping like a rock. Businesses are closing their doors on a daily basis. The nation has spoken, and elected this man of wit and charm and nebulous hope, to be the most powerful man in Western civilization. I can still hear those crackling words, clear despite the old technology:

"The only thing we have to fear is, fear itself."

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FDR was right. Fear is the only true enemy. Fear is the basis for all of the atrocities committed throughout history by humanity against humanity. Fear is the mother of all evil, the seed from which springs forth daeth, disease, and horror.

Hatred is fear gone mad. Fear of that which is different, fear of losing one's comfort zone, fear of what others may do to us.

Jealousy is fear of loss, fear of being left behind in the rat race we so despertely try to run, despite our consistant complaints of how much we hate it.

Greed is fear of insufficiency. More, more, more, until there can never be a shortage, but even then we crave more, more, more just in case.

Wars come from fear. Fear of being left out in important world matters, leading to future conquest by those who have obtained power too great for us to resist. Fear of a lack of resources. Fear of those who are different, turned to hatred in the pressure-cooker of time.

Oppression is a result of fear of that which is different, a fear that those differences may allow others to oppress us. It is fear of the unknown, the unfamiliar.

Anger is fear building upon fear, compounded and simmered in that same pressure-cooker, until it emerges as something that keeps us from feeling as cowardly as fear does, but something born of fear and destined to follow in the evil footsteps of its father nonetheless.

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Today is February 14, 2009. It has been almost a month since President Obama took office. It has been several months since President Bush was defeated in his attempt to continue the status quo through election of Senator John McCain. And yet, we continue to hold onto the hatred of Bush. This morning, I found a new thread, entitled The disgrace that is GW Bush. It is filled with truth. Yes, he did those things. Yes, he made a lousy President. But he is gone.

As I speak to those around me who are politically active, I continue to hear about how badly Bush did. And I continue to ask the question, Why are we talking about historical events as though they are changeable?

I have found that when irrational behavior asserts itself, fear is usually the culprit. We see that in the recent fiascoes in the economic/political arena. The bailouts are there because of fear of an economic collapse. The collapse itself is based on fear among the population that it will happen. The reason that fear is able to exist is the fear of the banks back in the early 20th century that they would not be able to have enough gold to cover their attempts to prosper beyond levels most of us can not even dream of; and even that fear can be traced back to a fear of want.

There is only one rational explanation for this continued obsession with our previous Commander-in-Chief: more fear. But this time it is the fear of the unknown. Those who support Obama are now afraid he might not be able to counter the situation we find ourselves in. They cling, in desperate hope, to the belief that no matter what happens, it must be Bush's fault. It cannot be Obama's, because if it is, their hope is gone.

To those of you who I have just described, I repeat the words spoken 76 years ago, heard by the nation through the crackles of static: "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Obama will make the moves Obama feels are right, both for himself, his family, and hopefully the country. The Congress will continue to do what Congress has always done: conspire between themselves for the greater good of the members thereof. Businesses will continue to make their decisions based on what is best in the CEO's eyes for themselves, their families, and possibly their businesses. Nothing has really changed except the name on the President's stationary.

We can change more than the arrangement of ink stains. We, as a people, can make a real difference still. We can make our future bright. But to do so, we must deny the fear that is all around us, that has become a part of us, that is our security blanket. We must confront that fear, look it in the eyes, spit in its face, and declare loudly and proudly that we are men and women, free, proud, and able to handle the challenges that face us. We must be able to stand on our own, and commit to our own prosperity, without regard to fear.

We can change what is. But to do so, we must not fear.

For what it's worth
TheRedneck

Click here for more information.

reply to post by TheFearless


He didn't say anything like that, I think you might have some bottled up anger or distrust, almost projecting.

With that attitude (of fear, OP), you will only keep attracting situations like that.





[edit on 15/2/09 by enigmania]

reply to post by TheFearless

Just as an aside... I voted for Obama.

I think you should change that screen name, you sound like you have much fear in you. Perhaps I should have listed 'jumping to conclusions' as well.

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reply to post by enigmania

Actually I was pointing out the fears I see in others, along with how that fear is creating the same conditions that existed in 1933.

TheRedneck

Hi, TheRedneck ! and all.

VERY good quotes and thinking.

Some (TF) are hard to understand !!

It's clear that you want us to have no fear, and have
positive thinking. THAT could bring us a more positive future.

That are sites with the same mentality :
Forum Intention Experiment:
theintentionexperiment.ning.com...

Divine Cosmos Discussions:
www.divinecosmos.com...

Bring4th CARLA
www.bring4th.org...

Blue skies.

Originally posted by TheRedneck
...
For what it's worth
TheRedneck

Priceless.

To me, living with fear in one's life is like driving with your parking break still on. You'll be able to move, but not at the speed you want, and you might just start smelling smoke as you start to burn.

Fair enough, but dont judge me, for you dont know me, for the few words I posted.
Look, you make some good points.
But you go like ``Barack Husein Obama``, that just is respectless I think to a very good man.
Anyways, good luck, and sry i was so attackful.

@ Redneck.

I didn't mean you with that last line, I meant how I saw fear in him, like you described in you OP.

[edit on 16/2/09 by enigmania]

reply to post by TheFearless

I understand that middle name has been used to try and harm Obama's reputation; however I do not see where in my context it would have done so or appeared to be an attempt to do so.

The man's middle name is 'Hussein'. What is wrong with that? Are we to the position in our society where the mention of someone's name brings immediate cries of condemnation? For God's sake man, will you try and censor any history books that record his full name?

I have great hopes for Obama.

You have fear, probably that he is going to fail.

And I judge you less by your words than you judged me by one of mine... and not even one I chose, only one I chose to use.

TheRedneck

reply to post by enigmania

My apologies then for misreading your intent.

I sincerely hope TheFearless can live up to that nomer. Fear really is the true enemy, and one that stalks all of us. We can choose to cower from it, or face it and defeat it.

TheRedneck

reply to post by TheRedneck


This is ridiculous. That phrase is stupid and is meant only for sheeple... to make them feel better about being powerless.

Ask any warrior, any soldier, any master of the martial arts, fighter pilot, and he'll tell you that if you aren't afraid, then you are dead, and therefore, useless to anyone.

That saying just tells sheeple that's it's OK to not give a damn and no one will give you hell for being your carefree selfish self. EVERYONE GO SHOPPING!!!

Fear leads to people getting pissed-off and doing something about their predicament.

People have been walking dead for so long obvlivious to reality and just before the $hit hits the fan, when, perhaps your fear could be the last extreme sensation to wake you up out of your slumber so you can do something about the current emergency at hand, your leaders tell you it's ok to go back to sleep and don't worry about that little fear thing.

God help us if you people don't wise up.
--------

Mark Twain said, “Courage is the mastery of fear, resistance to fear, not the absence of fear.” At times the nearness of death brings an inexplicable exhilaration which starts the adrenaline flowing and results in instant action. The plan becomes an integral part of the pilot’s body, it is strapped to his butt, and they become a single fighting machine.

Originally posted by TheRedneck
Fear is the only true enemy. Fear is the basis for all of the atrocities committed throughout history by humanity against humanity. Fear is the mother of all evil, the seed from which springs forth daeth, disease, and horror. [...] we must deny the fear that is all around us, that has become a part of us, that is our security blanket. We must confront that fear, look it in the eyes, spit in its face, and declare loudly and proudly that we are men and women, free, proud, and able to handle the challenges that face us. We must be able to stand on our own, and commit to our own prosperity, without regard to fear.

You should not reject fear. It generally only means you do fear it. The problem is not the fear, the problem is how it is managed. That is, not react by prostration nor violence (which only lead to more fear, and to even more prostration and violence, in a very clear circle of problems), but by reflecting, reasoning, and analyzing, the problems which lead to the fear, and solve them.

Fear is only an emotion. And it is in no way bad. It is even very important, when properly managed and balanced, to develop intimacy and attachment, by protecting yourself. It is very important for your individuality, and for intimate relationships. It can be very exalting, when playing lightly with fears, while having a good framework of security, stability, certitude, and tranquility.

Beware of all extremes. Don't go «spitting» on emotions, it will solve nothing, and only lead to more extremism, in reaction... to the fear of the extremes. History is often going from one extreme, to another, in reaction to this first extreme. You won't find any balance, in extremes, and it is only in balance, that you will find how to manage your fears, by solving the problems which lead to them.


Did you read my topic on the logic of the existence? I detail all this a bit. Do notice how I got only one person to reply to it. Well, this is just the beginning anyway.

reply to post by TheSingularity

Strange that we tend to agree about people being 'sheeple', yet we obviously disagree about the cause...

This is ridiculous. That phrase is stupid and is meant only for sheeple... to make them feel better about being powerless.

I really don't understand how you equate realizing and denying fear, an emotion which leads to irrational actions such as war, oppression, greed, etc., with being blinded to what is happening in our society. Can you expand on this reasoning?

Ask any warrior, any soldier, any master of the martial arts, fighter pilot, and he'll tell you that if you aren't afraid, then you are dead, and therefore, useless to anyone.

I know many Vietnam veterans, and they all say the same thing: they were afraid in 'Nam, and they wish they hadn't been. Fear led to irrational actions, and in some cases, to capture and torture.

An old warrior saying was used as a catch phrase in one of the "[Conan: the Barbarian" movies that came out some years ago: Do you want to live forever? Sure, it was a movie, but that saying is real. It is a denial of fear, of the ultimate fear of death. An enemy who is not afraid to die is the most devastating enemy known. It was such an enemy that attacked kamikaze-style on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and it was such an enemy who brought down the World Trade Towers on 9-11-2001.

Fear is a hindrance to warriors and soldiers, not an attribute.

That saying just tells sheeple that's it's OK to not give a damn and no one will give you hell for being your carefree selfish self. EVERYONE GO SHOPPING!!!

Used in an economic sense, applied to a Depression-era situation, it was fear that caused the Great Depression, and fear that is driving this deepening recession (which I expect to be another, Greater Depression). Such a depression happens when people stop spending money, causing businesses to fold and more people to lose their jobs, increasing the fear of poverty among the general population and causing less spending. It's a vicious spiral downward into depression, and one that is initiated by fear, motivated by fear, and driven by fear.

There is also a big difference between 'not giving a damn' and being afraid. Fear is not apathy, but apathy is a result of fear in itself. When the fear of involvement is acted upon, the result is not becoming involved and subsequent denial of one's right (or duty) to try and right the wrongs one sees.

Fear leads to people getting pissed-off and doing something about their predicament.

And that something is usually the wrong thing. Logic and reasoning will always provide a more apt solution to any problem encountered than fear. An example: You are driving home and someone cuts you off in traffic. Fear says that you are in danger because this guy did not respect your space on the highway. Such an action must be countered, and leads to road rage, with you driving wildly trying to catch the guy and 'give him a piece of your mind'. Fear of being caught causes him to speed up and drive even more wildly. The result can easily be an accident with yourself, the other driver, or innocents around the two of you being placed in danger.

Logic and reasoning state that your proper course of action is to ignore the actions of the other driver and concentrate on safe driving, possibly alerting law enforcement if you feel the actions of the other driver warrant it. If followed, this means that the other driver may still drive wildly, but is not antagonized; you are inconvenienced very slightly and no longer in danger; innocents around the two of you are not placed in any greater danger. All of these are more positive outcomes than the former choice.

Using logic and reasoning, the best possible result is that the other driver is pulled over and removed from the situation. The worst is nothing is
escalated. But by listening to fear, the best possible outcome is that hopefully nothing happens, while the worst case outcome is an accident or a ticket to you for over-reacting.

Fear accomplishes nothing good in either case.

TheRedneck

reply to post by Senatsu Sakizakura

You should not reject fear. It generally only means you do fear it. The problem is not the fear, the problem is how it is managed. That is, not react by prostration nor violence (which only lead to more fear, and to even more prostration and violence, in a very clear circle of problems), but by reflecting, reasoning, and analyzing, the problems which lead to the fear, and solve them.

We would seem to be saying the same thing, using different words. Logic and reasoning is not fear. Fear leads to reactions that defy logic and reasoning. Logic and reasoning tend to take a back seat to fear, and fear cannot exist when logic and reasoning are in control.

In a biological sense, fear is the 'fight or flight' mentality. It exists to speed up our reflexes and allow us to fight off or escape an immediate danger. In a natural setting with our physical survival abilities being capable, this could be seen as a good thing, but we do not live in a natural setting, nor are we physically adapted for survival in such a setting. fear of an attacking guard dog, for example, will cause one of two responses: fight or flight. if fight, we are faced with an animal who is hardier, who has fangs and claws far superior to ours, and who is less susceptible to pain and physical damage. If flight, we engage the natural instinct of the animal to give chase and further the attack.

But by denying the fear that is inherent in such a confrontation, one can use body language to neither fight nor flee. The proper course of action is to remover any threat the animal may be sensing, remove oneself from the area the animal has freedom to be in, or to possibly use a weapon to protect oneself from attack. These are behaviors that require thought and reason. And it is interesting to note that it is often the attacking animal who is acting out of fear as well, creating the situation in the first place.

Fear is only an emotion. And it is in no way bad. It is even very important, when properly managed and balanced, to develop intimacy and attachment, by protecting yourself. It is very important for your individuality, and for intimate relationships. It can be very exalting, when playing lightly with fears, while having a good framework of security, stability, certitude, and tranquility.

I see no way one can use as extreme an emotion as fear to become 'intimate' Can you explain further?

'Exalting' I can indeed understand, as there are some who get a thrill out of a sudden adrenaline rush, created by fear. But that fear is controlled, and when undertaking such an exercise, care must always be taken to ensure utter safety. The reason is obvious: when under the uinfluence of fear, one will not always make the best decisions for themselves and require supervision.

I'll try to check out your thread as soon as I get time. I actually don't have the time to be responding to this thread right now.

TheRedneck

reply to post by TheRedneck


Redneck, you make some good points, but only if we change the definition of fear.

We're just talking about basic fear, not road rage. Fear wouldn't dictate that the 2nd driver "counter" the other guy out of fear.

Also, I think you basically said that fear is absolutely 100% never good or useful. Again, you might be talking about some other accompanying emotion along with the fear... panic?

Here is my point. First of all, I hate simple one-liners and catch phrases, or "old sayings" because there are usually 2 to 3 other one-liners that counter and contradict the first one. Life is complicated and a real technician will understand that you don't just turn away from fear - as is how I interpret the quote - but be aware of it, deal with it and manage YOUR ACTIONS based on a real legitimate fear of possible danger.

Key point: Fear, as we all know, leads to the fight or flight response. Now, if you suppress your fear or turn a blind eye to it, you will interfering with your ability to address an issue. That's my point, you have to address the issue, not squelch the fear, which could be telling you that your life is in danger.

You can't be like a robot. Fear is an alert system. Emotions are a fuel. Controlled, like a factory, they can keep you energized and motivated; out of control, and you can have bursts of rage. But, playing it safe by locking away certain aspects of yourself because society says to is not my cup of tea

Originally posted by TheRedneck
We would seem to be saying the same thing, using different words. Logic and reasoning is not fear. Fear leads to reactions that defy logic and reasoning.

Just as fear, is not the possible negative reactions from fear

Originally posted by TheRedneck
Logic and reasoning tend to take a back seat to fear, and fear cannot exist when logic and reasoning are in control.

This lacks a bit of balance. As said, fear can be quite interesting, in a very reasoned manner (it brings quite some diversity, and curiosity, excitation, and exaltation). The problem is to manage it properly.

It is a matter of letting the fear flow lightly, to still be tranquil enough, to reflect, analyze, reason, and decide adequately, instead of letting it crush you, and generally take irrational decisions, because of the stress, the oppression, and the frustration, and the insecurity, the instability, and the uncertainty.

Well, of course, it all depends on you personality (independence, force, detachment), past experiences, etc. I'm sure not saying you should fear everything lightly... But there is no problem fearing lightly, consciously, with reason.


There are a lot of situations (notably as developed individuals), in which the fear is much lighter, and the consequences, far less important.

To give you a basic example, with a light fear, you can enjoy watching an horror movie, at night, with an intimate relation, at home (a quite secure environment, at least in the idealistic society), tranquillity, in his/her arms, and go to sleep afterward, like this, feeling quite secure, stable, and certain, warm. It's fear, it's reasoned, and it's very interesting and good, without any significant negative consequences (it does «cultivate» your fears a bit, which might lead to a bit more fear, in other more-problematic situations, but if you are well-reflected, well-reasoned, and well-analyzed, it should not really be a problem, notably in the idealistic society, in which significant problems are unlikely).

I understand you see the massive fear, in today society, and the highly-problematic reactions to it, but it does not mean fear is bad in itself. Again, it is a matter of how to manage it (including reasoning it, to limit it, or even to more or less dissolve it), and how to react to it.

You are generalizing, toward an erroneous systematism. Fear, by itself, can be quite interesting. Denying all fears, is just falling back to pure materialism, «free» from fear, but also «free» from most sentiments and most emotions, and from quite a lot of associated diversity.


[Continued in my next post, because of the oppressive 4000-character limit, even if reducing quotes...]

[Continuation of my previous post...]

Originally posted by TheRedneck
I see no way one can use as extreme an emotion as fear to become 'intimate' Can you explain further?

Fear can be very light, when reasoned.

Intimate relationships are generally based on the fear of loneliness, quite directly. It enables you to feel more secure, more stable, and more certain, about not being alone, in your daily life. Of course, it also brings quite a lot of curiosity, excitation, and exaltation, which can be quite detached from the fear of loneliness, but curiosity is also associated with reassuring yourself in knowing mechanisms, facts, and things that are, other than yourself, excitation can be associated to reassuring yourself in feeling great sentiments and emotions, feeling more alive, more fully, and exaltation, can be associated to reassuring yourself, with a more intense feeling of understanding and transparence, which further reinforce your feelings of certainty, of stability, and of security, leading to a more-balanced detachment, independence, and force.

Again, fear enables quite a lot of interesting reactions, when balanced, when reasoned.

I perfectly understand the state of today society, but this is a problem of managing the fear with reason (which, of course, lead to limitating the fear... but not dissolving it completely, systematically, even if you have a very independent and detached personality), not of denying it, which, again, would most certainly lead to fear of the fear, meaning yet another taboo, and yet more stress, oppression, and frustration, by trying to force yourself not to fear, which, as sentient and developed individuals, sure is quite difficult, if not impossible (and again, in no way a problem, and again, even very good, when balanced and reasoned).

Originally posted by TheRedneck
'Exalting' I can indeed understand, as there are some who get a thrill out of a sudden adrenaline rush, created by fear. But that fear is controlled, and when undertaking such an exercise, care must always be taken to ensure utter safety.

It depends a lot, on the specific fear, and the specific environment. To give you another example, you can use visualization (or lucid dreaming), to fly above great landscapes, tranquilly, feeling the light fear of this great openness, along with direct curiosity, excitation, and exaltation, without any significant risk (except, possibly, involuntary movements -notably around the reflexes when falling-, but you only need to be careful about not being too close to hard objects and the walls... but it's still quite light...).

Originally posted by TheRedneck
I'll try to check out your thread as soon as I get time. I actually don't have the time to be responding to this thread right now.

Well, I should be doing quite a lot of other things too ^_^

[edit on 20-2-2009 by Senatsu Sakizakura]