I know this is not a new problem, but it seems to me that there is more "fear fertilizer" being spread through the media than I have seen in a long time. Maybe the reality is that there is more to be afraid of. It gives the media a lot to work with, and it gives us a lot of "fertilizer" to help our fears grow.Here are just a few of the news headlines online this morning that are perfect "fear fertilizer":
-8 Missing as Volcano Scorches Yemeni Island
-Female Homicide Bomber Kills 15 in Pakistan
-Racial Tensions High as Hmong Murder Trial Starts
-7 Wounded in Early Morning Shooting at N.C. Club
-Study: Pollution Shuts Down the Immune System
There were many more, but these make the point.
It seems that our world has become quite a fearful place. There is plenty of "fertilizer" to feed our fears.
And, it appears we have created a culture that thrives on headlines that feed our fears. We have even made fear part of our entertainment diet. The movies that feed our fears are great hits.
Why do we so "enjoy" fear? It has to be true because we thrive on anything that feeds it...anything that "fertilizes" it. Why do we so thrive on fear?
I believe that it's a result of a culture that has refused faith in God...refused a reverence, a fear of God. In the vacuum of faith in God fear of anything else will fill the emptiness. And, as a result, we have developed a whole "fear industry" to feed our fears and tell us we should be afraid. Now, fear is the new normal. If we aren't afraid we become fearful that we are missing something...because everyone knows we should be afraid...so we rush to the morning news to get our "fear fix."
What's the result when a whole culture thrives on fear...when, for the most part, faith is abandoned and fear is glorified? It will be a culture that will elevate these things- pride, arrogance, sinful lifestyles, course language, a glorification of death, a disdain for punishment, a high value on possessions, glorification of sinful lifestyles, an elevated fear of man, and a diminished fear of God. (My list comes from the book of Proverbs.)
And, so here we are...in the middle of a culture of fear with all the systems in place to feed it.
How can we live differently in the middle of all of this? It starts very simply with this one verse-
Pro 14:27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.
I invite your comments on this topic...
2 comments:
Fear is a product of the wrong perspective and an identity crisis. We forgot that we are eternal and that this life is but a small piece of our whole existence. If you try to hold on for dear life to this present fleeting experience and the things therein, then of course you are doomed to be full of fear and much suffering. The answer? Appreciate this gift of life, but realize you are a stranger in a strange land and one day you will be going home to be with your Lord forever. This is your proper identity and perspective.
A lot of you may think I'm way off base, but I "live in a cave". I'm not up on the latest news, weather and sports as broadcast several times a day through various media. The big things end up drifting in through my filter. It's not that I don't care. It's that I can't cope. I can't handle the cares of the world on top of those of myself and my family. You know, from an historic perspective, it hasn't been that long that we've been able to know everything that happens within minutes of the event, if not live! Are we using technology to overburden ourselves with cares we were never meant to handle? Something to think about...
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