Fear Itself

What's happening, friends? Why is there a split down the middle of this great nation? Why is it "us" versus "them," red state/blue state, liberal/conservative...? What's causing the division? What is it when it's all boiled down?

A friend and I came to a conclusion recently regarding that question: Fear.

Fear that "it's all going to be taken away from us." Fear that "they want us all to speak a foreign language to accommodate them." Fear that some will have to make a huge sacrifice in order to help others. And fear that "they" are going to kill us and take over the nation.

Why have some leaders expressed a desire to see our president fail? How could anyone in a legislative role sacrifice something--anything that is good for the nation so they can sabotage the plans of a leader who's not a member of their own party? And how, when a hint of success comes shining through for that leader, can anyone pledge to not cooperate with him on future legislation that could benefit our nation and even the world? What drives that kind of childishness? Fear.

When Glenn Beck cried on television, what was he fearing? The loss of an America that once was? Was it a racist, priveliged, bullying America that he was mourning? (By the way, check out this video to see how sincere he really was: http://tinyurl.com/yktaoos )

Fake journalists with fabricated opinions spew hateful garbage about groups of people they deem threatening. Or, they'll take an idea and twist it into a grotesque concept (think "death panels"). This stinking garbage gets passed around in e-mails so often that it becomes a rallying cry for those who fear. The fearful receivers of the messages close their eyes and hit "send" to everyone on their list, and the garbage becomes more strongly woven into the fabric of fear.

But fake journalists are motivated by something other than fear: Ratings and advertising dollars. So they play on the fears of a believing public to acheive their goals. They whip the people into a frenzy and encourage them to shout down leaders in public forums. They cause them to blurt out hateful things in the halls of congress. Or to spit on those that they oppose.

I fear, too. I fear that if we don't work together, if we continue to fight each other, we'll tear apart a nation that has the potential to be great.