Fear the Uncontrollable Instinct

Fear: The Uncontrollable Instinct

Most all violence is driven by some type of fear. There are so many things people are afraid of. Fear of death, fear of losing possessions, and fear of differences, these are just a few that I will be focusing on in this paper. Everyone is afraid of at least one of these things. How far would your fear take you?

Fear of death one way or another causes violence, whether it’s intended or not. When tragedy strikes, for example there is a fire in a building with a lot of people. It comes down to a race of beating time to get out of the burning building so you don’t die. There are many people around you with out even thinking you start to push yourself through everyone to get out. You are actually pushing people down; this is not something you could see yourself doing, because you’re a nice person. Except at that moment of getting out alive you are blinded by fear, fear of dieing. Your life is important to you. Incidents like this happen every time tragedy strikes. You aren’t intentionally trying to harm others. Along with that fear of death does lead you to hurting or killing someone else. The world is run by such sayings as, “Survival of the fittest”, and “Kill or be killed”. When it comes time for battle its either you kill the enemy or you’ll be killed. Soldiers might not want to do it but they have to, to survive. Here’s another example a young man is in a gang, the gang tells him to rob and murder the next person walking down the street or they will be killed themselves. If this young man decides not to go through with this violent act he’s done. Will he go through with it or not? It depends how afraid is he of death.

One fear that causes much of the violence today is the fear of losing possessions. This includes the main things like land, oil, and money. This fear affects countries all together. The wars that have been started in our history were mainly over power. Which ever country has the most land or the most money is the most powerful. Not only does this fear run throughout countries but it hits closer to home as well. Families every day are broken apart because of money issues. A man can’t lose their job. Losing there job would mean not being able to support their family. You would do whatever it takes to make cash to keep your family. Would you even shock someone with 450 volts for just $4.50 an hour? In the Milgram Obedience experiment, a psychologist Stanley Milgram took a group of people and assigned them as “teachers”. Now in this experiment the “teachers” would be put in a room with an experimenter. While in the room they are given questions to ask the learner in the next room. Every time the “learner” answers the question wrong they are shocked. Each time it was wrong the voltage went up 15 volts. The “learner” was an actor of course but the “teacher” didn’t know that. 65% of the people picked to be the “teacher” went through with the job no matter how loud the “learner” yelled. They went through with a violent act for only $4.50 an hour, that’s it. To a person in desperate need for money to support their family, $4.50 would go a long way, but that doesn’t make it right. All of this because of fear, fear of losing your wife because you’re suddenly broke, fear of losing