Fear

justmind.org

I have been reading and contributing on Facebook a lot in the last few days. It is true for me as for many others, when emotions go up the ability to reason diminishes. Some of the more intense topics have been gun control, pro-Trump and anti-Obama, racism, anti-Muslim, and welcoming refugees. Name any possible hot button in today’s news and it is an open topic for the social media. I have found very few conversations where there is any openness to the legitimacy of the other side.

Falwell, Jr. urges the students of Liberty University (there is irony in that name) to arm themselves. I have friends who are ardent supporters of the NRA and expanding concealed carry. Some of my friends even support the open availability of military type weapons for the general population. I am not anti-gun, but neither am I in favor of the general populace being armed to the teeth. Some of my friends believe we all need to be armed in order to resist a coming tyrannical government in our own country.

It seems the primary driving force in our country, in deed in the world, is fear. Fear is a base emotion which lives within each of us. We all fear something. We may fear the dark, spiders, snakes, terrorists, going broke, losing our job, or any number of things and situations. Sometimes we can overcome our fear. It may be that we have enough positive experiences associated with that which we have feared we learn the worst does not and will not happen. We might cognitively realize our fear is irrational.

I know some folks who fear driving in Pittsburgh because they might be shot. Do shootings happen in Pittsburgh? Yes. Of all the people driving in Pittsburgh are some shot? Yes. How many of those who drive in Pittsburgh are shot? Not very many. If I drive in Pittsburgh what are my chances of being shot? Minuscule. Do I allow my fear of being shot while driving in Pittsburgh keep me from going to Pittsburgh? No. I am not captive to my fear.

Fear cages us, enslaves us, immobilizes us. Fear motivates us to build walls on our borders. Fear drives us to not only arm ourselves, but to do so with the biggest, bad ass, weapon we can get our hands on. Fear diminishes us individually and collectively. Can/will we rise above our fears? Can/will we choose to live freely? Can/will we risk that which we fear in order to exhibit the kingdom of God? That is what we are called to.