Fear has become big business!13 Sep 2025 09:49
“A person who doubts himself is like a man who would enlist in the ranks of his enemies and bear arms against himself. He makes his failure certain by himself being the first person to be convinced of it.”
These days, fear has become big business rather than a helpful, valuable resource.
We live in a climate fueled by fear. The media manipulates fear to earn higher ratings with headlines such as "Will Ebola Hit Your Neighborhood?" while merchandisers tap our fear to sell products. Politicians stir up fear to accumulate votes, religious leaders employ fear to keep flocks in line, and parents wield fear to keep kids from misbehaving. Fear is woven into the fabric of our lives, perhaps affecting modern adults even more than it did our caveman ancestors.
An article in the New York Observer claimed that “fear is the new normal.
”[1] Fear influences the choices we make. Yet making decisions motivated by fear is flawed, if not dangerous; it will never lead to the healthy, fulfilling lives we crave.
Fear sees only the downside. While nearly every choice has an upside and a downside, someone in a fearful state only identifies the worst that could happen. fear sees only failure and pain.