Friday, June 03, 2005

Fear, is it the driving force in our foreign policy?

Fear is a base emotion. It can spring upon us due to a sudden event, or weigh on us over time. One aspect of fear that is interesting to study is how individuals react to it. The fight or flight response is present in animals and humans. It is a key in survival in emergency situations.

It is this fear driven desire to react, to run or fight, that needs to be looked at.

Consider this; You person is in a crowded bar, and sees another person coming at you who looks dangerous. As this threat gets nearer the feared threat make a quick move in your direction. Will you run, punch, or just wait to see what is going on? If fear takes hold, you will either punch or run. If you think you can win, you are more likely to punch, it you don't think you can win, you will flee. The fact that this person was only reaching for a pack of matches wouldn't matter, your fear demands action, and you respond.

If you had the courage to see what develop there would have been no reason for a bar fight.

Consider how our leaders and our society are dealing with the upsets in the world the last few years. We are the biggest meanest guy in the bar, yet our leaders jump in fear at every sudden move made by those we see as dangerous. The cowardly nature of our leadership has infected our society, where the majority appear willing to trade freedom for security.

It was said best by FDR, we do have Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself. We have the size strength and power to respond to any act. We don't have to fear the shadows, and what ifs that exist in the world. Living as cowards, being driven by fear, as this administration has been, is a sure path to failure.

Stand up, and refuse to be scared. Refuse to accept pre-emption, gulags and backpedaling on international treaties and laws. We must realize that nothing is one hundred percent safe, and accept those risk as part of living free.

At some point in time, a terrorist will again attack us on our soil. At some point in the days, months or years to come, a nuclear weapon will be used on this land. When that happens, we will face the greatest challenge to our society. If we allow fear to rule us we will no longer be a free land.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

just remember the use of the terror code last fall. the president may be driven by fear but he understands how to use it to drive others.