Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Fascism begins at home

And it has, psychologically speaking, a framework on which its layers of justifcation are draped like so many wind-blown rags caught on a barbed wire fence:

Fear is the ultimate self-fulfilling prophecy.

The Wikipedia explanation of "insecurity" pretty much does my work for me in the above contention, saying
"Insecurity is often rooted in a person during their childhood years. "
It is only left to me to connect "fear" to "insecurity" which I don't think is much of a stretch. Slightly more of a stretch is needed to claim that the insecure create their own troubles and foster situations in which their apprehensions become justified...for which Wikipedia also has a succinct explanation of an ancient observation with a modern name.

Those inclined to apprehension are also apprehensive of therapists, so what IS the way out of this mess of self perpetuating fear-of-every-strange-thing? Wikipedia even points toward a solution, saying:
"Although difficult, insecurity can be overcome. It takes time and patience and a willingness to believe each person is of great value."


"...a willingness to believe each person is of great value"...that is more of a hurdle for conservatives than for liberals but even conservatives can talk a good game of tolerance acceptance and compassion...at least on Sunday mornings and campaign rallies. We should either hold them to their talk or let no person coddle that lie in their heart.

I think we always have a choice but rarely make it explicitly: life on earth will often present you with contexts where your thought could be either " I am not enough like a fortress" or "The world is a bad and dangerous place." Though neither is terribly enlightened, one is on the right path.

What fortress never fell to the pounding of heavy weapons? What cloud was ever captured or even hurt by arrows and cannon balls?

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