Scaremongering

scaremongering /ˈskɛːmʌŋɡərɪŋ/
1. one inclined to raise or excite alarms especially needlessly

In regards to many things I write like global warming, possibility of nuclear war, technological unemployment, decline of human rights and many more, I am not trying to scaremonger you. Scaremongering would mean that I spread fear without any purpose or that I want to spread fear just for the sake of fear, but I am not doing that.

In fact, I do not care whether you are scared or not, so long as you can take appropriate actions on the approaching danger — actions that could save your and other people's lives — really it does not matter whether you will shake like a leaf or be like hippos in the sun.

Although, in some way, it would be more helpful if people would acknowledge the danger and use fear and additional adrenalin as driving force to boost their actions.

Fight-or-flight is a physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to survival. Too much fear can cause people to freeze or rush into wrong actions. Lack of fear in the face of real danger can give false comfort.
Comfort, carelessness, and laziness — equally with inability to take action (freezing) or taking the wrong action — can get you killed when facing a harmful event.

Imagine you are sitting next to someone who is driving while texting.
How will you inform the driver about the approaching danger that can potentially lead to an accident and kill you both?
There are multiple things you can do, depending on how much time is left. You could choose to shout, but that can startle driver and again cause an accident. You could ask quickly and politely, but the driver can ignore this or dismiss it. You could take over the steering wheel to avoid imminent danger, but, without having control over the pedals, again, you could end up dead.
So, what is the best approach?
The best approach is to ask the driver not to text at all, even before he or she begins texting — way before the dangerous event even becomes a possibility.

It is very similar with to every other big problem or life-threatening issue: if we have the right information, we can act on it way before it becomes a real danger. Because of the speed at which we move, sometimes, even when we step on the brakes, it can be too late, as inertia will take its toll.

Largely, I am emotionally detached from most of the things I write about, even when I personally find those things deeply concerning. That does not make sense! How can you be concerned but emotionally detached?

When writing about these problems, I usually see many ways to solve them. I can see the danger, and I may even feel terrified about some of the possibilities, but that does not slow me down. It just makes me work harder and longer on raising the issues or finding solutions.

So, in some sense, when I write about many issues like global warming, technological unemployment, poverty, declining democracy... I find it quite frustrating that other people do not see, understand, or simply do not care about them just a fraction of how much I do, as those issues equally concern everyone.

If they would care, it would be easier to organize and risk/share our resources, in order to fix the problems that lay in front of us. As I do not have billions at my disposal, the only way, for now, is to try to find like-minded people who will understand the things I am writing about and support my efforts in any way they can.

Maybe it is not always obvious, but the purpose of my writing can be summed up as follows: "Guys, these things are huge issues!
Let’s get together and fix them!
Together, we can solve them! We can succeed!"

Although I am not intentionally trying to scare you, as I know you may freeze, you should feel fear. Only crazy people do not feel fear. At the end of the day, fear is a good thing: it is there to protect us.
In that sense, courage is a learned skill on how to control fear, not allowing it to take over, while we continue to do the things we need to do. It does not mean we do not feel fear.
Without fear, as a civilization, we likely would’ve perished long ago.




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