Peterson Toscano's A Musing

What happens when we live in a state of fear? How do the media and political leaders exploit our reactions to fear to manipulate us, influence our decisions, and affect the way we act towards others?  According to research out of UCLA , fear and anxiety quickly alter our bodies, stirring up a host of reactions, including jittery and shaking feelings. Fear floods the body with adrenaline and sugar for energy, speeding the heart and narrowing the mind.  The fearful person plunges into the emergency state of fight, flight, or freeze. This animal instinct gives us the burst of energy we need.  In that state, we can’t think clearly—just react to protect ourselves and our loved ones. That same chemistry plays out in our politics today. I live in the USA, a land where fear dominates our lives. I hear both my conservative and liberal friends speaking the language of fear with all the suspicious, dehumanizing power fear brings with it. I listen to friends talk of their terror of I...