December 24, 1998
Fear
When we are children, we find fear in many simple objects: bees, spiders, the closet, and for some, the international monetary fund. These fears make no rational sense, and that is probably why young children do get scared. Kids are known for their endless asking of "Why?" so it makes sense that the unexplainable would weigh heavily on their minds. We spend our early years trying to understand.
Eventually, we get to the point that we can't actually say we know it all, but our minds have collected enough knowledge as to make reasonable assumptions about things. There are still issues we don't clearly follow, and we still fear these unknown avenues of death and the international monetary fund. However, our greatest fears are the ones we can explain.
We fear the threat of nuclear war because we are aware of the possible threats of terrorist groups and countries like North Korea and Pakistan. Chemical and biological warfare haunt our domestic idyllic society with the threat of domestic terrorism. Statistics on rape and drunk driving make us count our moments alive.
I myself fear one major issue. . . the millenium. Sure, there is a fear of the unknown when I consider whether or not to believe all those arcane prophecies of Nostradamus and the like. However, what really scares me is everything I mentioned earlier. I don't fear Armageddon or the Rapture, but actually some little terrorist group who sees January 1, 2000, as the perfect time for waging their private little war against what the deem injustice, persecution, and of course, the international monetary fund. I hope nothing happens, but it still freaks me out.
Knowledge is a dangerous thing, and my fear wouldn't exist if I as completely ignorant and stupid. However, the words of T.H. Huxley weigh heavily on me here, "If a little knowledge is dangerous, where is the man who has so much as to be out of danger?"