Fear In The Flesh

Fear In The Flesh

"Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is." German Proverb

I shall speak of that which is the oldest of man's feelings. Of that which haunted the nights of our ancestors and of that which lingers in the corner of every mind. That which can assume different guises and absorbs every concept known to man. That which animals smell, and humans can exploit.

Fear has a certain odor that taints the clearest of atmospheres. It can be seen clearly on the faces of those struck by it. But one thing that is more horrible than seeing it on the face of a creature is to sense it taking over a whole nation. We have been living with this ominous sense of fear of the coming days for a long time now. You can see it clearly on the collective face of all of us, drawn on the outlines of our widened eyes. You can sometimes smell it coming from the very fabric of society, a stinking stench of a rotting generation holding on to the last vestiges of a by gone days. Should you have an acute sense of hearing then you can distinguish that creaking sound coming from the echoes of the mouths of so called elders who are both bewildered and are blind after being flashed so violently by the light of truth. How can nobody noticed it hanging over us so far is beyond my.

Fear's most dangerous quality is not in itself, rather it is in the ability to drive people to perform feats of extreme ignorance out of panic. People you would think are beacons of knowledge can devolve into Neanderthals howling to a dark sky looking for a light to ease their minds. People you would think illuminated politicians transforming into stunned wild rabbits ready to break free in a moment. People you would think are shining pious men resorting to create human shields around them thinking that they are the center of all light and without them we plunge into eternal darkness. These that we look up to in times of peace and prosperity should also be like our anchors and guiding lighthouses in times of difficulty, but alas what should and what is are two different matters.

Having said all of that I have to also say that there is hope. There is always hope. Only for those willing to gradually fill themselves with the light of hope and begin to take sure and confident steps into making a better future regardless of those hiding or running aimlessly. Hope that there is always a chance to make anew what is broken, to bring a laughter to where a scream was before. To show a light behind the curve of a dark tunnel. To smell the sweet prosperous earth where only fires and gas filled our nostrils. But it does not take leaders or elders or even captains to show us that. It only needs you and me to stand up and show fear that as long as we stand then we are not defeated, not by a long shot. And trust me when I say that anybody who promotes his leadership then he is a man filled with fear in need of fresh warm bodies to surround and protect him.

I do hope that I can shed some truth on the matter that we all know in the back of our minds but rarely talk about or even admit to ourselves. It involves the future of several generations that will condemn us if we should go silently in the dark. It involves unborn children who will point an accusing finger toward us when observing the deprivation around them. We must shake off the imaginary shackles of our minds and rise up like our ancestors rose up against all odds from simple disregarded people to be the substance which empires are made off. At the end of the day we all have the same amount of daylight that those better than us have had before.

I only hope. And with hope I rise.