I wrote a post a few days ago regarding 2009es, the space rock that journalists (without research) were purporting to say would potentially come close to the planet and, if it hit, make all life itself extinct. A frightening way to start a week.
My article attempted to re-focus the whole thing back on facts. It is simple in the modern age to get confused easily.. The amount of noise that exists online is deafening. At times it is nearly impossible to find a needle of truth in a haystack of rumor.. But we did. And I am proud to tell you that the response has been great. I received emails to Bryan@nightterrornews.com and private messages on Facebook thanking me to calming fears.. Even some comments on the post also include gratitude for being a voice of reason.. A lighthouse in a vast ocean of tabloid sensation!
But it also prompted some more deep thought on my part..
WE are a society FILLED WITH FEAR.. We are so often treated to immense horror on the evening news–something I have also written about timeless other times.. It’s not just the media, as easy to blame as they are. It is also corporations. Government. The National Weather Service. Tabloid websites. Your doctor. Chemical companies. Your phone carrier. Fears sells.. And when you’re purchasing out of intense fear you’ll more apt to buy something you don’t really need.
For those of enough sound mind to recall this, remember around 2003 when Tom Ridge created a color code terror system at Homeland Security? I distinctly recall one article about a woman who killed herself by accident. She was in a total panic and taped her entire house up with duct tape. It was true fear and paranoia.
Before laughing, consider your own situation. With enough mass media, someone with a little bit of stress may let it get to them..
If you go to a drug store starting around this time of year you are greeted with signs admonishing you that you are a problem if you don’t get a flu shot..
Weather forecasters often warn of sky falls before storms.. So many times over that when the actual big storm hits people don’t believe it will happen.
Facebook contains a massive amount of links to articles that only include fear porn—headlines designed to make you click .. nothing that provides any useful information to your life.
This year’s presidential election I also providing ample fear for communities across America. Donald Trump has effectively used fear as a means of promoting his candidacy while Hillary Clinton has effectively used fear of Donald Trump to promote hers.
And clowns! In the small town clown fear of 2016, I read this article .. A sheriff is now claiming there will be ‘zero tolerance’ for clowns in his town.. What about the very good likelihood that all of these clowns are actually just figments of images toon.. That many of them are just … Not real to begin with.. that we are over-hyping something ..
Nah.. That can’t happen..(sarcasm)
Fear.
Fear.
We fear food now. And rightfully so .. But we don’t know what exactly there is to fear since countless studies tell us to fear the wrong thing..
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I suppose someone could say I am also falling victim to this fear factor.. Last night, my son took his first self defense class. He is only 5 going on 6, but my wife and I felt it was necessary to have him blast off into life with some backbone to guide him. We provided him love and support for his life so far and will never stop.. We have made his life wonderful. It has been filled with love and people who love him. And THAT is precisely why we feared he would not handle himself well in confrontation. We want him to know that life isn’t roses but also not fill his mind with fear beyond wildest realities..
It is difficult in the muddy waters of life. You’re on your own so much, fending for yourself against the monsters of mania, that it is often easy to forget yourself in the mire.
But there is hope! The first thing you can do is research things for yourself. Don’t let mass media hype your life up more than it should be hyped.. Don’t let corporations sell you nonsense because of some involved lie that you should have it..Eat good food, mostly plants. Exercise. But not too much. Drink some wine but not the bottle..love your family. And when you lookin the mirror, realize you are a soul within a temple created in the image and likeness of God.
All that said, also : Know your surroundings. Find your exit door before you sit down … Plan an escape.. Watch your six.. and never let fear cloud your intelligence or reason. The best way to live is by living. Without that, you’ll die of endless fright.
