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Fear is a good thing. The soldier who knows no fear is a liability
In so many stories about the upcoming elections, I hear people stating what they are afraid of and what they do not want, rather than what qualities, abilities and values they are looking for in a candidate for elected office.
The level of the office being sought is of little consequence, whether at the local level in the small rural village where I live or in the race for the White House – people are afraid.
The coming presidential election may well be an election about our fears.
Which do we fear more: big government or big business?
The fear transcends party affiliation –
The increasing dependence of both parties on big money, usually in part from big business, has modulated and sometimes muted the perception of this danger
And the fear has reached the grass roots of the country and is embedded in movements from both edges of the political battlefield.
The tea party movement is founded on a fear of big government, while the Occupy Wall Street movement is founded on a fear of big business and finance.
The ability of U.S. citizens to manage their fears, rather than being blinded by them will be critical to positive change occurring in the 2012 elections.
The challenge of 2012 is to have a finely tuned, nuanced and thoughtful discussion of the ways in which we can best respond to the real dangers of both big government and big business.
How we do this is of course the challenge, as we are bombarded with political marketing from both parties and many other sources that assure us that “they” know what is best for the country and that the other side is evil, wrong and to be feared.
The article author, suggests that Aristotle had the answer to our dilemma –
The answer to this is Aristotle’s: Look for the balance between excess and deficiency, between too much and too little. Fear can be a virtue. Do not throw away fears either of big government or of big business, but modulate them and seek ways to act wisely and effectively on those fears.
Your comments, counter points and feedback is appreciate and welcomed.
