Across the country this month, at least five men have opened fire on someone who's stumbled upon their space.
It seems like there's no longer safe spots in America anymore. Churches were once considered a safe place for all, but now they've been turned into shooting galleries.
Going to walk-in movies used to be a safe place but not anymore after a madman in Aurora, Colorado. slaughtered 12 people and wounded 70.
All of this fear induced carnage is nothing new under the sun. Ancient religions relied on fear to control the masses by telling them they wouldn't go to heaven unless they obeyed the church.
Crusades were launched out of fear of Muslims taking over the Western world. People have been demonizing others that don't think like they do, or who look different, for ages.
Today in America we're divided down the middle between blue states and red states with both creating fear of what the other is doing.
Fear makes people crazy if they carry it around for too long. This past decade has seen a resurgence of fear being spread by extremists who favor having a dictator instead of a constitutional government.
Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, "There is nothing to fear but fear itself."
Here's 10 things that happen to people who are constantly afraid of something.
1. Inability to sleep. You rarely feel rested or comfortable.
2. Anxiety and panic lead to anxiety disorder and nausea.
3. It weakens your immune system because the fear response includes an upsurge of adrenaline and long-term exposure weakens your immune system.
4. It sharpens survival instincts. You either run or stay and fight. There's no in-between.
5. Depression. In a nation where depression is an epidemic people are succumbing to the constant fear on a daily basis (thanks to toxic social media).
6. Phobias. If you worry about something long enough, you can develop phobias that morph into conspiracies.
7. Heart damage is one of the most detrimental body effects heighten by years of fear. The organ becomes overworked and stressed from constant bombardment of stress hormones.
8. Lack of confidence. If you're afraid all of the time your self-confidence shrinks to minuscule levels.
9. Fear can make people miss out on things that may be good for them. Among them medical checkups. They often avoid family and friends.
10. Worsens memory. The brain is so busy getting ready to fight or flee that it doesn't record memories as effectively.
Now that you know the ill-effects of constant fear it may help you resolve your fears knowing the adverse effects it has on your body.
In a country where fear dominates more facts and truth can combat its ill-effects. But because fear is an ancestral reflex, we'll never be without it. We just have to learn not to let it take over our lives.
As it stands, "Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom." - Bertrand Russell
