NOTES FROM CAPTIVITY: FEAR!!!

Growing up, we were taught the only thing we had to fear was fear itself.

But I’m afraid that it was, and is, much more complicated than that.

Not that fear is necessarily a bad thing – – it is the basis of a lot of relationships, both personal and historical. Take the Cold War, Brussel sprouts, and spy vs. spy, for example. And given the recent news, only a fool would use drive-thru restaurants.

Like it or not, fear is a very powerful motivator, and appears throughout our lives.

Fear is – or used to be – a critical part of parenting. I loved my Dad, but there were definitely times when I feared him. Those were times when “the belt” was used to commemorate something stupid I had done. It only took one ‘commemoration’ to know I didn’t want another. I doubt that kids today dread a time out in quite the same way, and as parents become their kid’s ‘friends’, even being grounded has lost its sting: “You’re grounded, but I know you’re busy, so let me serve it for you”.

Fear used to be a critical part of education. I attended Catholic grade school, and while the nun’s disciplinary excesses were slightly ‘kinder’ than the Nazis, suffice to say I am still missing a toe on my right foot from 4^th grade.

I later attended an all-boys Jesuit HS in the era of corporal and verbal punishment. The Jesuits could have taught Herr Himmler and the Nuns a few punishment techniques. Suffice to say, I am still missing a toe on my left foot, so symmetry achieved.

And in college, I learned to fear bottomless pitchers, but that’s a subject for another time, and a beer.

Today’s kids school fears are a poor internet connection, and whether their teachers will have passport issues as they return from their vacations.

Fear used to be a critical part of our relationship with God. What Catholic can forget their fear of the aptly named Confession? A dark booth, with a shadowy character on the other side of the screen, telling us to “Spill it, kid”, with the “Say 10 Hail Marys” punishment as a belt equivalent.  I once copped to the Kennedy assassination just to get out of there.

And if Jesus on the cross didn’t inspire fear in you and make you want to do the right thing, then you weren’t paying attention. And those statues wrapped in purple sheets during Lent – was that us if we didn’t confess fully?

Fear is definitely part of the Coronavirus, as it should be. It is why a coughing fit in any aisle of the supermarket allows you to shop in privacy. It is why the CDC issues dire warnings even as conditions improve (As historical background, the CDC’s first act was to issue “The 101 ways you could put your eye out” in 1952). And my Captor uses fear to keep me in line, reminding me that the man she calls “The Governor” wants me to wear a mask and eat outside. And to dress better. And to eat my Brussel sprouts.

And the media have always known that people want to hear good news , but really want bad news  – no one ever covers a drive by waving…

So, like it or not, I’m afraid I have to remind you that it is human nature that we love fear and don’t trust happiness.

The message in all of this? We need to embrace fear, and use it as a motivator.

But there is good news! Remember that everyone and everything you meet ‘out there’ is just as afraid of you as you are of them! So there’s nothing to be afraid of…

 TO ENHANCE YOUR READING ENJOYMENT, PAIR THIS POST WITH THE FOLLOWING SONGS:

Just Passin’ Through   String Cheese Incident

“One of these days I’m bound to wake up dead”

I Cried When I was Born   Freddie Stevenson

“I cried when I was born, but I’ll die laughing”

Power and the Passion  Midnight Oil

“Better to live on your feet, than to die on your knees”

I Got You   Split Enz

“I don’t know why sometimes I get frightened, You can see my eyes – you can see I’m not lying, I got you – that’s all I want”

Atticus  Noisettes

“I have no fear, I am Atticus now”