Living in fear

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”10/12″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]One of the dangers of living in a technology driven world is the ease of sharing information. This is ironically also a blessing, but sadly the human condition is such that the negative aspect is often the one with the most impact. In this day, it is so easy to convince people of the truth of something simply by the way it is presented … that we won’t question simply because we don’t WANT to. We live in an age where propaganda reigns supreme, and so many do not even see how easily we are being manipulated. If we connect something with a celebrity … it must be true, and a correct way of thinking. If it LOOKS like it is legit, then it is. Statistics never lie … even if the humans who MAKE the statistics actually do all the time. The guy in charge or with the most money says this is the way it is, who are we to question?

Source of heat? Potential destruction? Do I see through fear filled eyes?

It is this mentality of giving up our own power of choice and personal responsibility that is precisely why the human world is constantly struggling with its own survival.

I live in America. America, in terms of growth of a nation, is nothing more that an adolescent trying to figure out its way in the world. We have the arrogance of the teenager, knowing we are RIGHT about everything; knowing that the world revolves around us; and basically not caring whether the rest of the world agrees or not. Yet like a teen, our conscience has not fully developed. We have a warped sense of right and wrong, and are ultimately driven by our fight or flight instincts, because our capacity for healthy choices has not fully developed yet. And those who seek to manipulate; to make the world in their own image KNOW this, and fully use it to their advantage. As an example, lets look at the continuing battle over gun control.

A gun is a weapon. It is a device designed for one purpose, and one purpose only … to harm or kill things. This is not an opinion; not a statement of my side of the issue. It is a simple fact. Sure it can be used in none harmful ways, but that is NOT what it is ultimately DESIGNED for. That said, just because it is designed for a specific purpose does not make it evil in itself. How often do we hear “Guns don’t kill people, people do.” This is a valid point. One can’t blame the tool … it’s being used for what it was designed for. So is this a valid argument for not controlling who has access to such a tool? Many would say yes it is. Unless they actually think about it for a second.

A match is a tool. It is designed for one purpose and one purpose only … to create a flame. This is not an opinion; not a statement of my side of the issue. It is a simple fact. Sure it can be used in other ways, but that is NOT what it is ultimately DESIGNED for.  The match is no more “responsible” for starting a fire than a gun is “responsible” for killing something.

Does this mean it is perfectly reasonable to freely hand matches to arsonists? Now I am not proposing that we regulate the sale of matches, I don’t believe adding more laws to a system already way over burdened with laws changes anything. If anything, the very fact of restricting something is an excuse to push the boundaries … especially for the teen brain. But just because the tool is not to blame for it own use does not mean the tool is something that should be easily accessible … especially for those who would use it in a harmful way.

The real problem here, though, is NOT the tools, nor how we use them. Ultimately it is WHO is actually presenting the arguments, and WHY they are. And that is where personal responsibility keeps failing. Over the course of human history, humans have been guided by those in power into being the eternal victim. The primary driving force of the human condition is not love, it is not greed, it is FEAR. The search for love frequently stems from the fear of being alone, and greed is ultimately the fear of being without. Those who would design the human world to meet their own needs, whether it stems from pure selfishness or altruism actually being irrelevant, fully use this fact to their advantage.

Advertising is fear based … buy this product because it we DON’T something bad will happen, or we won’t fit in, or we won’t be liked. Politics is fear based … put me in power because I will ensure that we live a safe and comfortable life inside the box I designed for us. Religion is fear based … live life THIS way because if we don’t bad things will happen to us when we get wherever we get after we die. Face if folks, we are afraid of everything.

Here’s a thought. Maybe if we put as much energy as we do into protecting ourselves from the big, bad, scary world into making the world less bad and scary … we wouldn’t need the protection. While there are actually times that violence is required to quell violence, just as sometimes fire is required to put out a fire … this is actually almost always the LAST choice for solutions, the one that becomes necessary when ALL OTHER avenues have failed. Why do we let those who seek selfish gain manipulate us into making the last choice scenario the ideal?

Maybe this is the question we need to be asking.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row]