The Reality of Fear

 

 

Otto Rank, one of the founding members of the Psychoanalytic Society, in Vienna, published “Das Trauma der Geburt” in 1924. Briefly, according to Rank, the change from the effortless bliss of the womb to the painful birth of postnatal conditions requires initiative from the infant. This traumatic change means that the infant not only initially experiences mortal fear and anxiety but that emotional dynamic becomes significant during separations throughout.  This disquisition pertains to the prevalence of fear.

 The Greeks and others believed that man seeks pleasure and avoids pain. My position is that fear is rational while anxiety is irrational. However, regardless, fear and anxiety means danger. With danger, there is a physiological homeostasis disruption. This means there’s an absence of pleasure, well-being and/or happiness but not of tension and discomfort. In other words, danger which is fear and anxiety is typical for man, part of his nature and becomes a prime motivator for behavior. There are three responses to fear: 1. Non confrontation or to freeze like a deer 2.  Non confrontation and run away like a deer 3.  Confrontation, a lioness will attack if you get between her and her Cubs.  She becomes aggressive and protective. I know from personal experience as, I once met a lioness and her two Cubs while running on the trail. She was aggressive and I literally ran away.

Recently, a 17-year-old, on one occasion, and three men on another, armed with gun approached another unarmed. Armed with gun and approaching a potentially emotionally based human conflict increases greatly the probability of using weapon. Therefore, it’s not surprising that when: 1. White man has a weapon 2. White man rationalizes protecting “property” or making “citizen’s arrest” 3. White man, armed with weapon, claims he’s afraid and kills other in self-defense 5. Having questionable subjective, discriminatory legal protections “stand your ground” and “self-defense” options reinforce the likelihood for “justified” murder and decrease the likelihood for the other two options of either running away from scene or being passive and doing nothing. Bringing a gun changes the bully dynamics. Having a gun in the first place suggests aggressive behavior for this fearful individual. It is similar to throwing the first punch; brandishing a knife in a fistfight; pulling out a gun in a knife fight.

Rank believed that the main human goal, of life, is to reinstate embryonic bliss, and avoid man’s greatest human terror or fear which is separation. We also know that infants, at roughly 6 months of age, experience separation anxiety when the primary caretaker leaves its presence and later experiences stranger anxiety when introduced to the presence of an unfamiliar object.

We also know that infants experiences fear and anxiety during the child rearing process. The infant or child learns that by obeying, and going along with the parental program, it receives comfort, pleasure and “love.” When the infant or child disobeys or does something to hurt self, a parental response becomes either harsh words, physical slap or loss of “love.” Loss of love is feared and becomes important for developing right from wrong within conscience development. Later in development, the child may hear “wait until your father gets home; I am going to tell your father” by the “good” parent. How can this parent be good by using manipulative, seductive or traitorous methods?  The father is to be feared and the mother not to be trusted. Thus, we have reinforced the notion of fear and hate as evidenced by the child expressing “I hate you.” Love, liking, admiring and /or disliking, jealousy, resentment and hate for the same object is referred to as ambivalence. Very early, in life’s development, the establishment and emotional attitude of fear and hate becomes well-established and continues throughout one’s life. One definition of an attitude is a disposition involving an expectancy of a certain kind of experience and readiness with an appropriate response.

Religion, another institution, in the early era of Christianity, taught about fear and hate. One message for early followers were, there was a blessed promise in a not so distant future in which the poor would be rich, the hungry would be satisfied and the oppressed would obtain authority. Luke (6:20) blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh.  Also, there was a complete hatred of the authorities, the rich, the learned and the powerful. In Luke(16:21} Jesus said “how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” There were many to hate such as the Pharisees, the Sicarii, the proletariat, and the tax collectors. There would be happiness for the poor and hatred and punishment for the rich, the nobility, the ruling fathers and the educated.

In essence, the early Christians were men and women, the poor, uneducated oppressed masses of the Jewish people and later of others. It was the poor that believed in Jesus. They would get revenge at a later date but not on earth. The wealthy were out of luck as well. It was the poor that could enter the kingdom of heaven. The wealthy, because of their wealth would be excluded and go to hell.  Luke (6:20) “But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger. Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Fear, hate and revenge was a clear message.

Another message of dogma was: If you were economically poor, you didn’t have to fear or worry about your future. You also didn’t have to fear or worry about your health as well. You would be taken care of forever. However, the messages of Jesus Christ were threatening, he was feared, hated and then crucified. According to Benjamin Franklin, “The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.”

 Speaking politically, Niccolo Machiavelli wrote “The Prince “in 1513. This Italian diplomat, philosopher and historian wrote about the importance of politics with its focus on deception, treachery and crime. He said that rulers established their kingdom or power based on their deeds that included violence. These evil rulers or tyrants employed fear to help them maintain their power. Thus, this diplomat exposed the political motivation of those in power because they employed fear to control others.

Alexander the Great, Joan of Arc, Mahatma Gandy, Abraham Lincoln, Malcolm X., Martin Luther King Jr., JFK,  Bobby Kennedy, George Moscone, Harvey Milk were all assassinated based on fear, aggression and hate.  The message, fear, aggression and hate superseded love.

Today, politically it is fashionable and important to fear and hate Nancy, Chuck, Kamala, Joe, Hillary, Soros, Rothschild’s, Zuckerberg, AOC, Trump etc. Some of the fear mongering include: 1. Build a wall to keep out the murderers and rapists 2. Infrastructure is socialistic 3.  Joe and Hillary are pedophiles 4. Black Lives Matter protests are dangerous 5. Defund the police 6. The Election was stolen 7. Kill them there, so they won’t come here 8. Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. Of course, the only destruction was of Iraq 9. They are going to take away your guns 10. They want you to get a vaccine.  11. Infrastructure spending is? 12. The following Bill of Rights and amendments pertain to whom:  1, 4, 5, and 8, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XIX, XXIII, and XXIV? 13. Overturn Roe versus Wade. Politics, continues to be based on fear, hate and division with obvious scapegoating.

Some examples of being reared with fear of parents pertains to the mighty dollar. Examples include: 1.The newborn has to have the latest items of the market to stimulate its cognitive development 2. Enrollment in the most effective preschool educational program for furthering cognitive development 3. Being bribed for getting good grades in school. It’s not about joy in learning 4. Being admitted to and attending the best university with the best major 5. Procuring the best job 6. Having enough life, auto, homeowners and medical insurance 7. Providing for retirement for family 8. Are the children being properly served with the Will and Trust?

Some examples of fear, worry and dread regarding the mortality of aging. Examples include: 1. Eating nutritiously with fruits and vegetables etc. 2. Maintaining physical exercise 3. Moderation of alcohol and caffeine 4. Avoiding drugs and nicotine 5. Proper weight 6. Reducing stress 7. Getting enough sleep 8. Maintaining proper relationships 9. Daily mental activity and lifelong learning 10. Prevent and control high blood pressure and diabetes 11. Control sodium intake and cholesterol levels 12. Dealing with hurricanes, flooding, and fire climate change conditions 13. Get a Covid-19 vaccination and booster.

There are many additional messages of fear, destruction, inhumaneness, and death. Turn on the television, watch 15 minutes of “news.” View killings in war areas; automobile accidents; terrorist bombing; statistics pertaining to Covid-19, US debt, increase in hate crimes, watching murder trials etc. Pay attention to the commercials and their fear-based messages. Make sure you obtain the correct product for your skin, take that medication, obtain the best credit card etc.  Our movies depict man’s fear of being harmed by man, beast or nature.

 Recently, Linda and I saw a movie, based on a true story, showing the plight of a man that had an English father and his Chickasaw mother. It was about his struggle against the despicable whites stealing his cattle and killing his Indian brothers led by a union Sgt. after the Civil War. Fear, hate, discrimination and prejudice was in full view.

With the origins of fear, trauma and helplessness, it’s not surprising that man’s history depicts man’s lack of humanism. Culture reinforces fear because the culture is made up of man. Man’s compensations and/ or  tendencies for obtaining power, money, prestige, possessions, autonomy, achievement, dominance, defendance, infavoidance, rejection, counteraction becomes exhibited, in an attempt to mitigate fear and anxiety regardless of time or locale. Reducing the fear, in the short-term, might result in pleasure of the moment at best.  With fear, anxiety, aggression and hate man exhibits a significant likelihood of directing same toward self and /or others. Don’t forget that I haven’t commented on suicide, fear of future; drugs and alcohol; fear of reality; being counter phobic, and a whole host of other pathological conditions.

Reference

Fromm, Erich. The Dogma of Christ, Routledge Classics, London and New York.