Fear is a bad advisor, they say. And yet, our life—birth, growth, and death—is an instant in the framework of the Universe, which dislocates when we become aware of it. And it induces the generation of fantasies and beliefs to make sense of the vital flash. What are we doing here? Where are we going? No two people are the same; in every relationship, there is a differential that translates into power relations that constitute the community relationship: conflict is structural in societies, and so is dissatisfaction. And insecurity and uncertainty are always present in a being that, no matter how much emphasis we place on it, remains precarious. Fear can be useful as a warning, but it is destructive as a systematic weapon of power (be it political or economic) to frighten citizens and deny them recognition.
A "Strengthen fear" (The Portbou Suitcase, 2013) Mia Cuoto quotes Eduardo Galeano: "Those who work are afraid of losing their jobs. Those who don't have jobs are afraid of never finding one. Civilians are afraid of the military, the military is afraid of the lack of weapons, and weapons are afraid of the lack of wars." And faced with this panorama, Mia Cuoto adds: "And what I'm afraid of is the end of fear." Can we live without fear? Or should we negotiate with fear?
Fear is structural to the human condition, which in all its spheres is marked by power relations—who commands and who obeys—which are expressed in the specific forms of each space: family, school, churches, businesses, armies, institutions, organizations, and so on. A psychologist might be able to incorporate the internal conflicts of each person for us.
Fear can lead to submission or confusion, but also, if we are able to maintain the right distance—that is, to know how to operate as autonomous subjects—as a warning that can help us anticipate conflicts and overcome obstacles. In any case, what seems certain is that fear is inherent to societies. And the pretense of having overcome it, a way of believing one is above others, inexorably leads to losing the notion of limits. Unfortunately, this behavior is all too common throughout history and is currently constantly present in all spheres of power and becomes especially obscene in the hands of figures like Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, who have made their way of being in the world completely "I'm allowed to." And they have contributed to millions of people being unable to manage fear. It's called terror.
