PROMPT: Write about something you DEEPLY dislike. (#2)

I like quotes. They are a direct inlet to someone's mind. What I like most about quotes is that they inspire me, not only to do things, but to think about things. Two of my favorite quotes are about something I deeply dislike...


"So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." -Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." -Thomas Jefferson

Fear. Nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror. I won't make this a religious rant, but I suspect that there are people in this world who have this kind of fear of God. or of a god.

Fear does paralyze. It holds us hostage. No matter if a fear is justified by experience or unjustified in an insane mind, fear is stifling. I hate fear.

A common fear is the fear of change, which boils down to the fear of "I don't know." We are not unjustified in being afraid of the unknown. Our imaginations run wild when we are unfamiliar with things.

"What's going to happen?"
"I don't know."
"Are you scared?"
"Yeah, kinda."
"Why?"

The answer to that can be one of two things: "I don't know," or a slew of imagined consequences or happenings that are either possible, probable, or likely to occur (based on experience and imagination). I personally like "I don't know" best.

I hate that people find themselves stuck in life situations because of fear. Fear of God. Fear of rejection. Fear of lonliness. Fear of poverty. Fear of anything that could happen. People would rather live in abject melancholy than to live in fear. I don't understand that.

I'm a big fan of logical fallacy. My favorite to use, most likely because I've got a very sarcastic personality, is the slippery slope. You might call it falling off the deep end. I apply this logical fallacy when faced with fear. My slippery slope question is, "Is anyone going to die because of this?" Not that I fear death, but I certainly want to know if I am going to be the cause of someone else's demise...I mean, it might make a difference in my decision knowing that someone might die because of it. Then again, I guess it would depend on who the death clock was ticking for...

The other logical fallacy that I'm NOT so fond of is the ad Baculum argument; that which appeals to human timidity and fear...a threat, if you will. I believe this argument style is used often in government and religion. It can be used either in slight or blatently. It is the position that argues a grave and scary consequence which has nothing to do with the action one is trying to pursuade. Not all threats are ad Baculum. Some threats are very real, like if you don't go down into the cellar during a tornado, you will be injured or possibly spun away to Oz. I mean, that makes logical sense, right? Argumentum ad Baculum would be something like "eat your vegetables or your dog will die." I guess that could be a direct threat on the dog's life, but most likely it's just a means of getting children to eat their veggies.

Most likely, it's a grave error in parenting. Why raise your children to fear? Fear stifles. I've said that already, but it's true. I have written before that my children are probably more "scared" of me than of anything else, but it's not fear based on ridiculous threats. Follow-through is important in parenting. "Eat your vegetables or I'm gonna whoop your butt" should be followed by a butt-whoopin' when the veggies are still on the plate at the end of a meal. (I rarely whoop anyone's butt, and certainly not for something trivial like veggies.) If you know the consequences..the FACTUAL consequences of action or inaction in any situation, give them. "If you don't pick these toys up, I'm gonna step on one and be very upset about it." Okay...they don't want you to be upset, so they pick up the toys. Or they don't, and they see you upset, and hopefully remember next time. Right?

How many lies are told every day to engender fear?
How many lies are told every day because one is fearful?