Don’t Be Afraid

Fear sells….and that is why you see the news media, the government, and even the weathermen trying to drum up fear. Recently we had a spell of very cold temperatures here in Chicago and they sent a “crawler” of text across the bottom of the TV set all night long to alert us to this disaster that was awaiting us!! Our media does not put things into perspective – nothing sells news like fear, and exaggerating issues and stoking fears is what they seem to do best. And if we can’t put these events into perspective, then we are easily swayed and become more fearful.

We need to realize that with the advent of the 24 hour news station, they have to fill that time. So they make stories bigger and longer than they need to be (this makes them seem more important). They also have to exaggerate them to grab your attention.

From what we eat (eggs will kill you….no, wait, they are good for you), to our way of life (we are in a recession…maybe a depression...a crisis…a catastrophe), to what our leaders tell us (polar ice caps are melting and we will all drown…oh wait, the ice caps are growing back), we are constantly told to be afraid. We are surrounded by fear, and the media pounds it into us every day. We need to push back against this and not let them immobilize us with fear. Decisions that we make when we are afraid may not be good decisions.

So when you hear things in the news or at the water cooler, try to think about history a little bit…do some thinking and maybe research of your own. We live in a better time than there has ever been in history – people are freer, we have a higher standard of living, more people have access to what used to be considered luxuries (microwaves, air conditioning, televisions) than ever before, and we tolerate others rather than stoning or shooting them. Be thankful for what you have, and remember that at no other time in history has such a large percentage of the population lived so well!!