The Fear Mongers

They’re at it again. The fear-mongers. They’ve come out and reared their ugliness after those horrific and barbaric acts in Paris. Now we are supposed to fear and loathe an entire group of fellow humans based on the actions of so very few. We RSOs should be sensitive to this. After all, we have been the victims of such fear-mongering for years. Where did this all begin and for what reasons?  I think the answer is quite obvious…Control of the masses.

I watched the most recent version of “Cosmos” with host Neil DeGrasse Tyson (one of my personal heroes). One episode in particular stood out for me. It dealt with Sirs Edmund Halley and Isaac Newton and was quite fascinating. What does those two scientists have to do with us RSOs? I shall tell you. When telling the history of Mr. Halley’s comet, Mr. Tyson spoke of how ancient civilizations had recorded the event of this extraordinary phenomenon several hundred years beforehand.  Each civilization that wrote of the comet’s appearance saw it as a prophecy of doom and gloom. Some took it as a sign of impending war. Others as drought or pestilence. I began to wonder if this is a natural human reaction to something unknown. No, I don’t think it is. Then I realized that these written histories were most likely not written by “the masses” but far more likely by the leaders. It was a way to control the behavior of the masses. (And also, I believe, the roots of all religion.)

As civilizations evolved, this has remained a handy tool for leaders to use. I need not cite history, neither recent nor ancient to make this point. It should be apparent to anyone and everyone. So please, do not let our leaders (or the media) tell us whom we need fear. It’s not the unknown. It’s not the refugees. It’s not we RSOs.
We have nothing to fear but the leaders themselves.

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