Fear

“Fear is like God, everywhere” Mohammed Al-Maghout, a Syrian writer, says. Fear is a culture which can spread and dominate the mind of the masses. We live today in the so-called Global Village in the culture of fear. Fear of the future, of the present, of the past, of governments, of technology, of economy, of our neighbour, of each other, of ourselves and even of God. Fear is and does exactly the same as cancer which is one kind of cell which tries to dominate by reproducing itself and spreading. In the culture of fear trust diminishes and loses its power to bring people close to each other and faith becomes a cocoon to limit our horizons or a weapon to use against the other. In the East and the West, people live constantly in fear. It has become the daily bread we break, the pollution in the air that we breathe and the water we drink.

Ignorance fuels and sustains fear which breeds hostility and violence. Our small world lacks education for peace and forgiveness. We have a responsibility to create a culture of trust, respect and love so that we can form a counter-culture to fear and hatred.

Fear is the antithesis of God because God is love who casts fear away. He sends us out as ambassadors of peace walking in the path of reconciliation.