The surprising answer to what frightens us most is (as gleaned from my experience teaching psychology) not death, but rather, irrelevancy. Death is pre-determined, a given, being able to transition from out-group to in-group status is not. A case in point: Jason Kessler, the organizer for the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, seems to have had a fair amount of rejection. A psychology major in college, he found it quite difficult to find a job afterwards. It didn’t appear that he had much luck with women either. Did his enduring need for recognition or validation lead him to make such extreme choices? Or was he searching for an outlet to unleash his own self-loathing? Isn’t this need at the root of so many who join hate groups in the first place? Is all that pent-up anger a cover-up for fear – a fear of losing one’s identity, or being displaced, or living one’s life in the shadows? Unless we begin a self-journey of brutal honesty, we cannot hope to heal ourselves individually and collectively and begin to close the gaping hole that has replaced our heart with hate.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FEAR AND HATE
Published by arlaanaslane
My life has been a thrilling adventure, from growing up with a bi-polar mother, to overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles, to backpacking around Europe for over four months at 19, to studying and teaching physiological psychology, international relations, African studies, to becoming a professional singer, and then a researcher and a teacher, until now. I have spent my entire life finding out what it means to be human spiritually, emotionally and physically and I am determined to share our common humanity with individuals locally, nationally and internationally. View all posts by arlaanaslane
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Arlaana's Lane 