The Culture of Fear

I turned on the television this morning -- first mistake -- only to see a feature story focusing on an English newspaper that was predicting "The Great Depression of 2008" hitting the United States. It was only the latest in a series of articles, features, and political pundints predicting a dire future for the US economy. Apparently, we have much to be afraid of.

I lived in Ireland for the better part of the last eight years, an ocean away from much of what was happening in the United States. I adapted to my new home in Ireland -- and I felt the culture of fear that I believe is prevalent in America gradually deserting my mind and my spirit. It's that pervasive culture of fear that topped my list of things I was not looking forward to when returning to live in the United States.

People are afraid...but then again, we've always been afraid. When I was a kid, we feared communists and nuclear annihilation. We were so convinced that the Russians and their Latin American allies were going usher in the end of our way of life. And remember the whole Y2K fiasco? How many people horded supplies and expected the worse case scenario? The only real effect of Y2K was the boost in sales of generators, noodle packets, and doomsday books (many written by Christian authors).

Since then, our enemies have changed, and so have their tactics. We are afraid of them because they threaten our "way of life". The Chinese are going to take over the world. The bird flu is going to kill thousands. The ecomony is going to collapse. Liberals are going to destroy America. The earth is heating up. We're going to get older...and balder...and wrinklier...and fatter.

My spirit feels so violated with the continual barage of "be afraid! BE VERY AFRAID!" It causes me to wonder what "way of life" we're so hell bent on protecting. Seems to me like our culture of fear is cutting us off from our neighbors, from traveling, and from enjoying so many of those things we used to value. As we circle up the wagons to stay safe from all those things we're so convinced are going to do us harm, we in effect lose the very essence of freedom.

I have a quote on my desk that reads "MEMENTO VIVERE". When translated, it means "remember to live". My brother has one on his desk that reads "FEAR: False Expectations Appearing Real". Truth! I have come to believe that fear is an insidious, infectious parasite that consumes us from the inside out. It prevents us from having the abundant life that Jesus came to bring. It cuts us off from others, destroys our hopes, dashes our dreams, prevents us from taking risks, and steals our peace.

If our hope rests in the gods of this age (financial security, goverment, possessions, youth), then we may have reason to fear. I prefer the alternative found in the wisdom of the author of the Psalms: "The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid?" There are enough purveyors of panic and peddlers of despair shouting at us from all angles, but I am comforted only by the God who says that his perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).

Living in the Culture of Fear is a choice. For me, it is a daily struggle to "remember to live" in the shadow of the Almighty. But I am happier -- and healthier -- in that Place.