[UA] Phobomancy

[Greg Stolze]

>About fear in our society --- it changed. It's much more constant,
>slow-burning --- life is so predictable that we are afraid of the
>unexpected --- could be unexpected violence, an unexpected turn in your
>life (loosing your job, loosing your partner, loosing a relative,
>loosing face).

I think the word for that kind of humming, grinding, fearful anticipation
that lurks in the background is "dread".  Or perhaps, "anxiety."  And I
suspect it's nothing new.  When you're a peasant in the middle ages with no
idea how or why disease comes (other than "witchcraft and the wrath of
God"), whose crops may or may not fail, whose animals may or may not
thrive, whose wife is pregnant (meaning that the survival of wife and child
are each separately ranked at about a 50% chance) and with no idea of the
Moors are going to invade -- seriously, you think those guys had no
slow-burning fear?

Now, I'd suspect that the new fear is existential fear -- or "angst".
(Man, the Germans have the best words for all the unpleasant stuff.)  That
is, modern people aren't more afraid of dying than their ancient
counterparts.  They're more afraid of being pointless.

>Can we make a school out of it ?

Oh sure -- out of dread OR angst, I'm certain.

-G.

I recently discovered something that accomplished the unlikely goal of
providing 10% of what I like about hot mustard, 35% of what I like about
candy, and 100% of what I like about booze.  It's called a "Fog Cutter,"
though that's a bit of a misnomer.  It would be more appropriate to name it
the "Reaction-Time Deadener" or the "Inhibition Loosener."  And it comes
with a tiny parasol.

www.waylay.com
www.thehungersite.com



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