Sometimes famous quotes become jumbled through repetition and time. The words retain their familiarity but the power and deep meaning of them is washed smooth like a rock by the sea. Think about the Pledge of Allegiance being recited by children on a single exhale or think about
FDR and his first use of these words “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Why is it that the greatest leader of the 20th Century chose to begin his Presidency with that message at the exact moment Democracies were failing, fascism was ascendant, Hitler was Chancellor
and unregulated Capitalism (gambling) had destroyed the American and global economies? He knew that fear was a virus, a metastic contagion that could destroy American democracy. When the Lie marries Fear there will always be despots lurking. Fear stifles hope and the Pursuit
of Happiness. It builds mistrust and erodes the National unity we embrace with E Pluribus Unum as our creed. Fear is the enemy of progress and justice. It is a poison that makes people susceptible to the irrational. It seeds panic. It draws people towards lies and the mirages
they create. Fear disorients,confuses and makes people angry. Angry people are easy to radicalize. Chaos is what comes from fear. The chaos fascists/autocrats spread is always fueled by high octane fear. Fear of the other. Fear of the foreigner, the outsider. Fear of the
minority. Fear of the future. Fear of complexity and truth. Always grievance and resentment can be found swirling in the toxic atmosphere of fear. In the end, Fear is always the weapon of the forces that hate democracy, pluralism, equality, the rule of law and liberty. That is
why, when Roosevelt, wearing the heavy, painful braces, that straightened his legs and locked him upright spoke in a great hour of danger, his first words were about fear. He knew his enemy and he knew that hope was his sword in fighting it.
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