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Why are we afraid? Humans as objects of Fear

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Are you afraid? Not the type of fear that cringes at the frown of a wimp. Such fears happen every day. Occasionally, a person can face such moderate fears. The type of fear discussed here is the type that can regrettably be unreasonable, excessive, destructive, harmful, hurtful, institutionalised, predictable and unpredictable. It is a type that can tear you apart bit by bit, and whole by the whole. It is a type of fear that can rise from personal, social, political, environmental, economic, legislative, and even metaphysical awareness. Any of these types of fears have the potential to rip the individual apart emotionally, physically, intellectually, and spiritually.

We are objects of fear. Fear is part of human emotions. Humans are victims of fear. As objects of fear, some deluded leaders leverage this emotion to incite divisions among people through their ulteriorly evil agendas.

Every individual can find themselves, at one point or the other, in dalliance with fear as a strong driving force that determines your mood and relationship with people around you or things.

Why are we afraid? And why are humans considered objects of fear? To answer these questions, there is a need to look up the different meanings of the terms used to describe anything that causes fear, or anxiety or even threatens or intimidates an individual.

This is not a research paper in the sense of calling up literature reviews of different written works on fear or about fear. This is just an observer’s interpretation of fear as a ‘human emotion.’

The procedure of this writing is to define and explain the different terms and then list types and awareness of human fears. Usually, definitions do not do justice to the terms they tend to describe, because they can either be overgeneralising or restrictive. However, definitions of these terms will give bearings to understanding human fears and why we are afraid. The definitions below are all dictionary-based.

Definition of Terms

  • Scare – is “a sudden fright.” It is the realisation that something can cause great fear or fright.

  • Fright – “fear excited by sudden danger” or “something strange, ugly or shocking.” You can be frightened about the future, not knowing what it holds for you. For example, if you are to move from your country to another in search of better opportunities or because of displacement due to war, you can be uneasy or apprehensive about the move. Fright can be associated with worry or nervousness, especially when something goes wrong or not happening as planned. At other times, fright can become extreme when it is overpowering or acute. In such circumstances, fright is petrifying. The term, ‘afraid’ can be used to describe “a feeling of fear” which is another way to state that someone is frightened of something, such as a dog or the looming hurricane.  

  • Fear - The term ‘fear’ is both implied and applied in the descriptions of ‘scare’ and ‘fright.’ It is a reason for a scare or fright. Fear itself is “an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by a threatening event or an awareness of danger.” Fear exists because something is intimidating or threatening.

  • Dread – This is an extreme worry or fright that something unpleasant is going to happen. For example, you may have a dreadful feeling about what people say behind your back, or dread meeting your long-lost daughter. Dread is to expect something with great apprehension.

  • Phobia – This is an irrational and excessive fear of a place, animal, object, or situation. Phobia is a type of anxiety disorder which is an extreme fear caused by an object or situation the individual fears. For example, those who have phobias for spiders will jump at the sight of a spider on a wall.

The above definitions will serve as guides to understanding fears as an awareness created, enacted, or befallen and experienced by humans.

Fears as Human Awareness

We are afraid because we are aware of the consequences of certain situations, behaviours, circumstances, objects, or events. Fear can be categorised into:

Environmental

These are fears that are mostly associated with natural disasters, though they can be at times predictable and other times unpredictable. Whether they are predictable or unpredictable, the outcome is always catastrophic. Examples of such fears include fear of …

  • Earthquake
  • Wildfires
  • Storms/Hurricanes
  • Drought

Economic 

These are fears that could cause harm or hurt the individual. Usually, they exist as unknown outcomes of government reforms, personal decisions or unplanned interruptions, or intimidations. Examples of such fears include fear of …

  •  Losing a job
  • Tax increases and deductions
  • Increase in interest rates
  • Loss in income
  • Criminal surprises
  • Recession
  • Being in debt

These types of fear affect the individual and their pockets.

Legislative 

These are fears associated with government legislation that affect the individual’s current and future well-being. Laws do not exist in a vacuum. The citizens are meant to obey and abide by them. These laws can institutionalize fear in individuals and shape their lives. Examples of such legislation include fear of …

  • Repealing the Abortion rights
  • Loose/Strict immigration laws
  • Privatisation of health services
  • Limiting marriage equality
  • Repealing of health care Act

The outcome of this type of fear can be predictable by the individual hence, the decry and outcry of such legislation.

Social 

These are fears that arise because someone is extremely worried that something unpleasant will happen. Such fears amount to dread. It is anxiety or angst about the condition of the poor or rich, the marginalization of women in workplaces, and LGBTQ or any race or religion. Examples of such fears include the fear of 

  • Your neighbour
  • The poor living close to you
  •  Domestic Violence
  • Anti-social Behaviours
  • Bullies
  • Racism
  • Jingoism
  •  Ethnocentrism

Under social fears, most deluded leaders pick sides and sow seeds of discord to gain popularity with like-minded people. Sowing such seeds rip societies apart.

Political 

These are fears arising from their disruptive nature. At times, the outcome is predictable and other times, they are not. It may be in the manner of pressure groups and peaceful protests for genuine reforms, legislation, or verdicts or in the like of a dangerously executed terrorist activity. Such fears can arise because of war between nations and its impact on everybody. Examples of such fears include fear of …

  • Looming/Ongoing wars
  • Consequences of any newly elected administration
  • Strikes
  • Protests
  • Civil Unrest
  •  Acts of Terrorism

Social fears can be extreme scaremongering or something intimidating and threatening to life and property.

Personal 

These types of fears exist because of uneasiness, worry or nerves about the future. It can exist because the individual is petrified about something or a situation. Personal fears can include anxiety disorder. Examples of such fears include fear of …

  • Heights
  • Closed spaces
  • The Dark
  • Spiders
  • Changing jobs or moving home
  • Sitting for an interview/exams or tests
  • Flying

Personal phobia for a particular object, for example, a spider seems irrational because a spider is an arachnid while a grown adult is a mammal. But a grown adult is afraid of a spider. Why is that so? This is a disorder that causes serious distress or suffering in the individual’s life.

Metaphysical 

These are fears that can be destructive, that is irreparable. It can also be a fear associated with reverence to a Higher Being. For example, religious people fear God’s punishments as consequences of sins. In like manner, autocrats or totalitarians demand unalloyed allegiance from their subjects. Examples of such fears include fear of …

  • Death
  • God’s judgement
  • Your Emperor, King, or Leader

Fear of the unknown, such as what the future holds in terms of after now what next, or what/who to believe in, or the struggle between the flesh and spirit are all anxiety situations that push and pull the individual like drifting miscellaneous items. When an individual ‘A’ agrees, for example, to rescind Roe v. Wade, an individual ‘B’ fears that her abortion rights are taken away from her. However, an individual ‘A’ loses nothing if Roe v. Wade remains unchanged.

Conclusion

We are afraid because we are objects of fear. We are victims of our own making and/or different situations in life. We are objects of fear by our own legislation and our environment. We are afraid because of our economic, social, or political predilections.  

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