The Joke's on Fear
Fear makes life/things much more serious than they actually are. Think about all the fears that drive so much human behavior. Any time there's anger, guilt, paranoia, denial, self-sabotage...even cynicism--it's just fear pointing to the potential for pain and loss in a way that practically shuts off the laugh-at-yourself mechanism. Trust me on this--laughter is so happy and delighted when it gets to come out. So when the ol' meany "fear-dumb" comes along and shouts at you with all the horrible things that could happen if you don't chase them off with "fear itself" in its numerous disguises--hostility, recrimination, grievance, unforgiveness, blame, shame, etc.--things get way more serious than needed. BTW: That's how fear keeps itself employed. Now, don't get me wrong. That adrenalin-kick-in-the-butt stimulus in the face of present danger, like if you are about to get eaten or blown up, or balled out is vital to our survival. But