I think as humans we love fear. It goes hand in hand with religion. Deep down we believe there has to be something more out there. It is acceptable that something bigger than us watching over us controlling our destiny. Fear meets that same inner drive. Our minds are clouded with all types of phobias. Whether we choose to believe that we are all driven by some type of fear or we are all in denial. It is our survival instinct that sets the course of our inquisitive nature. Like the first man coming out of his cave peeking out to see if the coast is clear before setting out on his daily rituals. Listening and watching his surroundings ever so closely for dangers that lurk in his territory.

Pretty much in the same way we do. We listen to the radio, television and view horrors on the internet on a daily basis. As information becomes so readily available and so quickly accessible it even opens up new horizons of fear. We are a fear driven nation in the US with all of the propaganda the government feeds us as well as the media. Using the internet as a tool like that of a roller coaster we feed our need for fear. For once I wish I could hear the news without having to listen to all of the OMG the Earth will self destruct in five minutes. This is exactly how our government wants us to react. So that we will blindly give over more of our freedoms for the sake of security to protect us.

We thrive on John Titor, asteroids, terrorists, gun slayings, Nostradamus and Osa Bin Laden. The internet is our dealer of fear that we live like junkies waiting for our next hit of terror induced euphoria. From Big Foot to Space Aliens, there is a wide range of fears to feed our addiction. I believe that technology has brought about more fear into our lives than being the savior it once was thought to procure. Now just the thought of technology dying tomorrow causes panic. Take the Y2K bug for an example. Everyone lived in horror for months thinking that the whole world’s economy, computers and Nuclear reactors were going to expire at midnight. Was there a probable chance? Yes, I don’t deny that. Or is that the fear imbedded into me by the media?

What is it about us as human beings that feel the need to thrive on fear? Racism, the fear of someone being different than us. Religion, because someone believes differently than we do. Death, it is a 100% probability you are going to die. It is the yearning to know how and when that mystifies us. We live in a constant nightmare everyday. Hypochondriacs are the funniest of all. I can understand most other phobias. Well some of them at least. The hypo is the funniest because it is so easy to embed ideas into their head.

Just writing this a flood of fears overwhelmed me. The funny thing is when I was a teen I was suicidal. I couldn’t wait to get it over with. I pulled through mainly because I just had to see what life had to throw at me next. Almost everyone I knew in high school and college had suicidal thoughts. Unless it was just me and my choice of friends I don’t know. I blame a lot of it all on chemical imbalances in the preteen to adolescent changes going on in our bodies at that time in our lives. Our inability to understand and process what is going on while everything to a teen is magnified. Now as an adult I am blown away at how trivial it all was. Also take into account I grew up with the ever impending doom of cold war on the news every night. What drives today’s teen fears?

What do you fear the most?

well...generally i believe that phobias have not changed from then to now. they probably wont ever change. only if some doctors or scientists find out some ways of controlling phobias or 'healing' them, we might one day be able to overcome them.
nowadays, since the amount of knowledge is constanly increasingand herewith the complexity of todays society, the amount of fears, which in some cases can be defined as concerns. mainly, young people are considering their furture. but this society has undergone change and development the specifics have changed. after WW2 there was little unemployement. now it becomes a problem to find a job for the average person or even some better educated people. living in a 'western country' and observing the strengths and weaknesses of capitalism the question is obvious: how long is capitalism going to survive? what are the other options? ...well that were just some ideas...

When we come into the world as infants we have only two inate fears, fear of falling and fear of loud noises.

Every other fear we have is learned, and in the case of the media, implanted then exloited.

If fears are learned, then they can be unlearned.

Today is the tomorrow you feared yesterday...was it worth it?

Fears can indeed be unlearned. I've done so with a few of my fears.

I got over a fear of flying when I was young. At least it didn't turn out like William Shatners adventure on the Twilight Zone episode, 'Nightmare at 20,000 feet.'

I need to get over my fear of spiders.

Originally posted by Vonz
What do you fear the most?

I don't think that there is nothing that teens today fear because the media exposes them to all types of behaviour considered unacceptable in reality. Reality and the media binds people to this life so much that I think most would be in fear of losing it all, namely, inability to accept ones own eventual demise.

As for myself, I really don't fear much about what is exposed on the media. The media has it all, from the destruction of the Earth, killing innocent people, bombs, buildings falling. I don't fear what the Government would like me to fear. The only thing I fear is having to come to terms with my own inner demons, those of hatred, enmity, my eventual demise from the Earth, apathy, selfishness etc. Other than that, the media is nothing but pollution for the mind.

Ahh... I'm a teen and I have a fear of clowns. Seriously, the really creep me out. Unless it's like one of my friends dressing up as a clown for Halloween, but if it's at a fair or something I get really freaked out. You just never KNOW what's behind that make up.

That's my brilliant comment for the day.