The Paradox
I’ve been thinking a lot about paradox lately, particularly the paradox of fear. How it works is this: I fear something, and my actions to avoid it bring about the particular thing I’m fearful of. I drink, I think I am avoiding loneliness and depression, only to realize the substance itself is causing the exact feelings I’m trying to dodge. I fear losing people, so in my anxiety I am needy and push away the exact people I hope to be close to. The list goes on. It works in every aspect of life; I create some sense of security out of fear, only to realize I’ve brought about the thing I fear the most.
Politically, fear causes people to vote against their own interest. It has been a great motivator for fascism; instill fear and you can take from the people the exact thing they’re afraid of losing. You can take their money, their food, their livelihood, all by promising them security and the release from that fear. We see it happening today. The people who grab guns for fear that the government will take away their rights are the people forming militias on the street and killing people, becoming the thing they fear. A true paradox. Run from it, and you run into it. Fear and anxiety as a motivator leads directly into the what it runs away from, engendering a move deeper away from security and into more fear. It’s how the current occupant of the White House is working. It’s words of revolution, but not a revolution that leads to freedom. It’s a revolution that leads to more fear. It’s how conspiracy theories work — creating patterns to try to make sense, to find one answer that will explain everything, to give a sense of security and knowledge, leading to events like an armed man showing up at a pizza parlor to rescue non-existent victims and instead possibly killing real, innocent, innocuous people. Fear creating the thing it fears.
What fear is not a great motivator for is positive action. In drama, and as in life, no one was motivated to act against tyranny by fear of loss. I’ve been noticing this with messaging about Biden, article after article of how he loses, the risk of losing, he’s going to lose, etc. I wrote a letter to the New Yorker about this click bait fear, as moments after the convention I received an email with two articles, one asking if he could keep his lead and the other if the convention was too smooth. Doubt. Doubt for clicks.
What this fear, projecting loss, engenders is not action but apathy. It’s a great excuse for people to not act. To give up. The battle is lost, why bother? I’d encourage everyone to notice this message. It’s great for click bait, but not great for action. Obama’s incredible victory came from a message of hope, not fear. It’s hope that wins battles. No great battle speech starts with “we’re going to lose.” The St. Crispin’s day speech from Henry V isn’t “no one will remember this day, and the other side is going to win anyway. “ If this is indeed, a battle, the messaging for everyone needs to be one of hope and change, not fear and apathy. Fear creating apathy is how loss happens. Don’t create what you want to avoid.
