The existence of the whole universe is a gallery through which the life visits within and outside. Naturalism is the characterization certificate of the living and non-living things. We as a human race stand at the center of such a universal structure. The greatest of all great is the undiscovered unity of the Lord of worship. The man, world and God relation has been a subject triad in various studies, either in humanities, science or technology. Nevertheless, death is the reality which doesn’t have any recovery. The human is destined to end, though a thoughtful life is still available, full of dreams. Somehow or however, I exist, we and all of us, are born in this world to live the best way we want or we may quest for in order to utilize the necessary opportunities, goods or luxuries in life. Simultaneously, we are attached in a relationship with this outer society consciously and unconsciously.
My identity comes out in the presence of the other man, otherwise there exists no meaning and the purpose of life, assuming it is only in darkness lacking individuality or meaningful existence. The reality of existence is useless, if it has any purpose or we have been sent for being tested; all such dilemmas are logically unverifiable. The only fact that we can conclude: is that we are born with a body and of a sensible mind. A philosopher’s mind tries their best to search for the answers to satisfy their quest for ultimate reality, as the backdrop of their quest for meaning and purpose.
Turning to the contemporary modern approach of analytical philosophy, it brought language as the whole sole domination of what is civilization. It posits that linguistic structure is the only knowledge discovered within human race, whatever is customized as language. All discourses are constituted in a basis for producing knowledge of this external world. The infected life of an individual shows the symptoms as fearmorphism in partial structuralism. Projecting towards such linguistic or structural codes of living prevents us from our essential interrogation of impartial existence of the ‘self’. It is the Sartrean man of authentic being to be conscious of realization if being for itself (authentic being) from being in itself. As in connection to the concept of a partial world it is not completely non being but the being - a kind that projects us with the readymade choices. This structuralism constructs partial owing of identity, to the fact that it is fixed and limited and that doesn’t allow our responsive freedom and wide awakeness as possible. Within such a mood of being, of course, it conveys fearmorphism of a partial structuralism. These choices are like the bolster of fearmorphosis unrecognized and unrealized. The zone of comfortable practice shut the doors of possible illumination of man’s destiny. And 'freedom' is compromised.
The life of human beings is always situated and through choices projected towards the future accelerated by the hierarchy of needs. Thus, it is a kind of cyclic being in the world. While in between, at some moment or projection of choice (given bolster) one enjoys and feels happy. It is the motivation for something which they desire or they reason that is responded but it is needed to understand that it doesn’t mean man is happy in totality. We all must interpret the difference that is the life but only to fulfill our needs or the structural demands. The real essence of the impartial self is nowhere existing or I may refer it, is nowhere dominated. The push and pull of the hierarchical needs are also a player in disguise. Each situation of a human life has a saturation point and one again has another venture. Slowly and gradually humans unconsciously keep getting away from this impartial self. The overall cycle of the life of a human being goes in a manner delineated by the partial structural society or a world as a whole. Now, an individual self--a part (impartial) is dominated by nature to represent the whole (partial). The very notion which I want to elucidate here is the role and nature of a partial whole and how the impartial self cannot be revived due to fearmorphism of the whole. However, the concrete fact is that ‘all of us are conscious of his impartial self’. We humans with a perfect mind and body have a great mechanism in-built to calculate right & wrong and good & bad through the process of life. The lost humanity is the resultant symptom with implications of this partial structure and it's doomed fate of self-surjection [self-subjugation?].
I really sometimes sit to contemplate, and to see, and I remind myself as being a part of the whole, unable to present my impartial essence in this partial world. The partial structuralism holds me so tightly that I am bound to carry a handbag rather than keeping a wallet in my pockets. Think for a thought of a moment, if any self introduces to wear or carry the wallet in some sort of style how will it be accepted and affected, and also know the disturbance it will create in the marketing of the handbags. This is another serious factor and there, of course, is an invitation to the criticism against being away from the structural strata. The habit of avoidance is one of the methodologies that make us distance the presenting of our essential impartial existence. This is actually a type of fearmorphosis which is greater than the fear of DEATH. It holds how my ‘impartial self’ unfits in the ‘partial world’. However, this illustration is too simple but speaks volumes to portray the world as Partial Structuralism or a cause of fearmorphism. The relational role we play in the presence of ‘other’ carry us to develop the way shown by the whole. And in doing so, we all are Sisyphus, the boulder we are carrying again and again is the result of not being the impartial self. This is the first and foremost fearmorphism, which later develops into different types of morphism of fear. The philosophy which I am trying to introduce through this paper is partial structural fear morphisms that recently discussed and developed in the writings of my works (see Subba, e.g., Subba, 2023), as a contemporary philosopher of the 21 st century.
Moving with these artifacts then lets starts our journey of life as a narrative. A captain of a ship never knows that their ship shall sail to its destination or not. They are well familiar of the structural nature of the water body they sail and well know they are at risk of different fearmorphisms. You may be thinking of what is the fearmorphism of the ship sailing in the water? The basic inherent feature of water has different fear morphosis like water storm, high winds, sea pirates, underwater volcanoes, water currents, the sea creatures and within the ship itself. Here, in limitations of the partial structuralisms, these can be described as different forms of known fear, still the captain sails. Similarly we are the captain of our life that owns peculiar structural morphisms of fear. The responsible man as a captain is ready for such hardships and challenges because of the motivational force of the destination. And, they keep this journey going with the ups and downs of it, along with the different destinations intended. Man is also the captain of his life similarly, which carries the responsibility, authentically served. The existence means, he is born, reared and grown with the world. Our existence is surrounded with the partial structure that encourages our body to disguise the essence and report in the manner convenient to the 'normanl' system of conventions. The cycle of life is difficult to such a manner of operations, and one is challenged to be merely strong willed, to be the impartial self (part) in the partial whole. The consequential fear of the choices of the decisions, in a situated life of being limited, is the very nature of our essential self.
The purpose of life cannot be fulfilled and the cycle of life within fearmorphism has no end but death itself. We the humans of this advanced and technical world has rather increased the fear by the ameliorating of the existential being. The addition of the complex mechanics develops novel types of fearmorphosis is another application of this modern world. The philosophy of such partial structure as a whole and part as a self in relation of the above ideology needs wise critical hermeneutics of the purposeful life as a humanist in the world. Derivatives of the structural fearmorphism has its own relevance and existence and it cannot be discarded or demolished for it is relatively significant in the development of life. But what all is pertinent is self-certification.
This is the very relevant issue to ponder and procure the essence than being a Sisyphus of the modern world of partial structure.
Reference:
Subba, D. (2023). Fearmorphosis: Man is a fear Sysyphus being watched by panopticans. Xlibris.
- Saima Hasan
(PHD Scholar)
Department of Philosophy- Faculty of Arts
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
[note: Edited for English and clarity by R. M. Fisher]
Piegiacomo Severini, Italy
Dear Desh [Subba], sorry for my very late answer, I don't know why I don't receive Linkedin updates anymore. By the way, my best wishes for this new year!
Everything is still quite new, in both my work and my daily life, yet I'm so motivated and I'm also learning a lot of new things. I have to be patient and wait for the time when I'll know enough for publishing something new. In the meanwhile, I'm slowly finding my Japanese routine, which is great. Hope you're doing well too.
Regarding your book, in these first days of the year I had some free days and so I read your book [Fearmorphosis (I opened Linkedin exactly for writing to you)]. I have to say that to me this is the most consistent book from you, among the ones that you sent to me. Even though it is less extensive than the others (this is a good thing to me, because willing to speak of a too wide topic is always dangerous), finally you present some good argumentations and precise analysis, which justify your ideas and assumptions, while going on with creating this new vocabulary linked to Fearism and a fear-based bias. I think this is the most philosophically rigorous text you have written and I suggest to keep going on with this method even for your future research: in this way, people can better understand and dialogue with your ideas/writings.
Regarding your thesis in the book, I agree with you that fear is a good key for reading the examples that you propose/analyse and I also agree that human existence is not absurd at all. Sadly, I don't have enough time for analysing all the points more in detail.
I have two questions for you.
The first one, is regarding B. Maria Kumar article: do you think it describes your book?
It is a good and informative article, but I feel that he starts from your book for expressing his ideas on freedom rather than simply presenting your book. For example, it is my understanding that the part in which the human being can regain freedom if he/she moves from a fear-centered perspective to a fearless perspective is not present in your book (maybe you just mention this possibility, but I can't find a part where you analyse this explicitly and extensively). Even more, I think that what B. Maria Kumar says somehow rows against your foundamental belief that "fear precedes existence": if we were born free and fear enslaved us afterwards, as B. Maria Kumar is saying, this means that freedom preceeds fear chronologically... But being free means existing, so we come back to the idea that existence precedes fear (rather than yours "fear precedes existence").
Besides this, my second question/point is linked to the previous one: why you didn't develop a fearlessness theory/process out of this appealing analysis of fearmorphism?
I know that professor Fisher wrote something about "fearlessness", but I'm interested in your reinterpretation and in your way of landing to fearlessness after having analysed fear. I need a "pars construens" after the "pars destruens" that reread many philosophers and topics in your previous books. Let's pretend that you have convinced everyone that fear is the power that rules existence: now I'd like you to tell us how we can follow such path for living a better existence (through fearlessness, I guess).
For the rest, I agree basically with B. Maria Kumar's article and probably with you, if you're suggesting that we were born free and it's all about regaining our freedom, or our capability of acting freely and thus living a better existence. Maybe, then, "fear precedes existence" is not fully correct and we should better say that for various natural mechanisms fear tends to influence (or even rule) existence (as we can argue from B. Maria Kumar's article); if this is your aim and all your research on fear aims at promoting a fearless existence that can regain its original freedom, then you have me by your side (and my research really goes in a similar direction).
Note: B. Maria Kumar wrote an article " Opinion: Brewing freedom from fear" in Telangana Today newspaper on 1 December, 2023 about Fearmorphosis book. Author opines his arguments on the basis of that book and article.
Piergiacomo Severini is from Italy. He is Post-doc research Fellow at University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara.
James Miceli, University of Massachusetts, USA
This article covers my interpretations of the author's work, and discusses the philosophical views presented in "Philosophy of Fearism," by Desh Subba, a Nepali philosopher, poet, and novelist based in Hong Kong. "Philosophy of Fearism," aims to provide a practical means of examining our holistic responses to fear and encourages an independent exploration of fundamental questions about our perception of Fear. The text addresses a wide range of topics and offers unique perspectives on the nature of the world, ultimately presenting our responses to Fear as something to view positively rather than something to run away from.
Why do some words start with a capital letter? (i.e. Being, Fear..): This is a tool used by philosophers to let you know that they’re referring to the philosophical concept, rather than the surface layer material. Fear (capital F) would refer to the concept Subba builds upon, whereas fear (lowercase f) indicates the typical use of a word in our everyday.
Key Points:
About Me:
I am a fourth-year undergraduate student of Clinical Laboratory Science and Philosophy from the University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth and Veteran of the U.S. Army. This review attempts to explicate my personal interpretation of the ideas and discussions presented by Desh Subba to a broader, philosophically inclined audience.
“After all, my greatest pleasure comes from philosophical conversation, even if I’m only a listener...”
-Plato, Symposium
I recently finished the text ‘Philosophy of Fearism’ by Desh Subba, a Nepali philosopher, poet, and novelist currently living with his family in Hong Kong. Subba’s text echoes the early works of existentialist philosophers and journalists, and Subba’s theories are well known for their ability to influence scholars, journalists, and philosophers around the world. His text “Philosophy Of Fearism” (2014), uses its novel viewpoint as a way to challenge the readily available interpretations we’ve all run into on the internet, especially those of misunderstood or potentially undervalued thinkers. His ideas in this book reach into a broad range of topics including bipartisan politics, philosophy, economics, and engineering. His attempt to describe his unique viewpoint on the surrounding world offers novel philosophical perspectives on the nature of the world around us.
While there's a comically large amount of truth to the idea that philosophy is the study of making more questions, the theme of my interpretation suggests that we “start at the very beginning", a very pleasant place to start. Personally, I attempt to answer this question by showing how a word is used in order to better understand it, almost like rules to a game.
By describing fear as the underlying principle behind the coming-into-Being of all Beings-in-the-world, Subba proposes a way to view fear as a driving force, rather than something to run from. Philosophy, and phenomenology (referring to the phenomena of experience) in particular attempt to teach us how to inspect our own lives in an attempt to describe the fundamental experience of simply being present in the world in consideration of the human understanding that we exist to some degree as - as weird as it may sound - “bodies” in a specific location at a certain time, and how the variety in that experience can better inform our understanding of what it means to live a good life, particularly without imposing any meaning or feelings onto that description.
Fearism and Philosophy
Philosophy of Fearism is an attempt to identify fear as something “larger” yet still essentially contained within the self. In an attempt to isolate the essential features of psychological responses to various neurobiological, spiritual, and social factors, Subba offers a practical means for answering this question on our own, rather than limiting it to his own perspective, which is all too common in contemporary philosophical and academic discourse. Consider Thales of Miletus, who "was made fun of by a playful Thracian serving - girl" while he was "gazing upwards while doing astronomy," and "made fun of him for being eager to know the things in the heavens, but failing to notice what was just behind him and right by his feet.” ((11A9) Plato, Theaetetus 174a)
“The story goes that when they were reproaching him for his poverty, supposing that philosophy is useless, he learned from his astronomy that the olive crop would be large. Then, while it was still winter, he obtained a little money and made deposits on all the olive presses both in Miletus and in Chios, and since no one bid against him, he rented them cheaply. When the time came, suddenly many requested the presses all at once, and he rented them out on whatever terms he wished, and so he made a great deal of money. In this way he proved that philosophers can easily be wealthy if they wish, but this is not what they are interested in.”
((11A10) Aristotle, Politics I.11 1259a9 - 18)
Whether or not this is literal advice or not is up for interpretation, but history would be hard-faced to put the Rockefellers on the other side of this argument. Either way, I think that Subba’s view on Fear offers a fascinating view on our responses to things that cause Fear
For myself, Philosophy allows us to encounter and bridge the gap between new and old things alike, and explain our subjective experiences in a way that lets us play life as a metaphorical “tetris” rather than “jenga” - which is to say we should see the new ‘blocks’ we encounter as opportunities to find a perfect spot for them on non - specific principle, rather than the inherited and out of style of trying to leave the bare minimum by taking away from another. In this way, we can begin to see our mistakes as opportunities for growth rather than things to be fearful of.
When things we feel ashamed of can no longer gain control over us, we start to feel realize that it’s all kind of silly when we use them as authentic opportunities to make the cracks in our art into something beautiful, similar to the Japanese concept of Kintsugi mentioned (between the lines) by American Philosopher Elizabeth Woolridge-Grant.
Since Heraclitus, we've known that change is constant (through his logos) If it’s true that we can’t step foot in the same river twice, why do we continue to use old terms for new rivers?
“It is not possible to step twice into the same river. . . . It scatters and again comes together, and approaches and recedes.”
((B91) Plutarch, On the E at Delphi 392b)
“We step into and we do not step into the same rivers. We are and we are not.” ((B49a) Heraclitus Homericus, Homeric Questions)
Why should you stick with Hegel if Foucault suits you better? In Nietzschean terms, Subba takes the view that not every scale on the dragon “thou shalt” has to be rejected, just self - inspected. Subba’s philosophy presents the idea that we can use Fear to better diagnose our collective but independent senses of authentic Being-in-the-world. To Subba, we are able to overcome our response to fear when we are able to help others create their own sense of purpose - else one risks repaying their teacher poorly. (Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra)
Fearism hopes to provide a philosophy that informs us that we are best able to realize our transcendence when the veils of Maya are lifted, and we reason the shadows on the wall cast by pure facts and logic as that of Socrates, rather than the reality that it’s Euthyphro playing Nero’s fiddle. From this newer, more ontological perspective on fear, Subba highlights why we as humans have good reason to be cognizant of the impact that failing to adopt more actionable, humanitarian viewpoints on topics like better living conditions or transportation options, climate change and gender inequality would have on our flourishing.
There’s a reason all roads lead to Rome, and that very analytic circle on the Aristotelian Wheel of Logic is largely attributed to Gaius Octavion, whose successes in establishing a long - lasting empire were largely derived out of his early interchange of culture both into and out of his city. If we want to overcome Fear in our lives, we can also look to Viktor Frankl, for example, who proposes the idea that happiness can only “fall into your lap” as a product of something else, it cannot be acquired as an end in itself. Thus, the pursuit of a personal relation to the world is the pursuit of happiness, and seeing fear as inhibitory impedes on that fundamental and unique ability.
When we instead view Fear as an opportunity to grow, or as a chance to find a place for something new to belong rather than trying to break it, we untether ourselves from the Heideggerian tendency to establish a norm or a “way one does things” based on social structures and based more on an authentic sense of Being-in-the-world that protects not only ourselves, but those around us and within our community. If we want to flourish, not just survive, we have to consider how we treat not only the people that look and act like us, but also create a means for new life and expression to reveal itself to us through the environment around us, which cannot happen if we continue to destroy our planet for temporary gains. Instead, for Subba, the actual way we turn Fear into fearful responses (i.e. so called Gestalt Principles) is something we, at least in part, learn from those around us, and the same is true for our own perception of others. Fearful responses prevent us from seeing our own futures as beautiful and/or worthy of hope or love, so we fail to understand the beauty of things that may be shown to us in new ways.
In what Subba refers to as the “village times”, for example, "seidr" in roman, viking, and pagan religious/shamanic practices would be seen as extremely feminine and shameful for men to practice because it encouraged them to dress up in women’s clothing, even despite the cultural tendency to regularly seek the advice of women in all matters, as documented by Tacitus in Germania, or MPs ‘I’m a Lumberjack’.
Rather than embracing our neighbors in times of change, we too often impose a belief that we cannot work together with our environment or ‘biosphere’ because of perceived differences of those around us, thereby adopting western beliefs in place of longer - lasting concepts like paramatma. We can look to historical figures that challenged these overly violent hero-figures as far back as Hildebrandslied, who fails to grasp the message from his elders that violence does not solve problems, which underlies german culture to this day, shown even through Nietzsche and Goethe, who clearly reaped the benefits of a more appropriate understanding of how we encounter fear. In Will to Power, for example, Nietzsche writes:
“300. (Spring - Fall 1887) Suppressed and effaced heresy in morality.
---- Concepts:
The abandonment of what was seen as “ugly pagan” interpretations of the world was vital in establishing the master - slave morality that Nietzsche associated with the European domination over Europe following the gross and despicable misuse of his and his sisters work by the Nazi party.
Goethe elaborates sightly more on the topic than the posthumously archived WIll to Power that Nietzsche’s sister frantically gathered and attempted to organize from the hoards of notebooks of an increasingly maddening Friedrich, instead expressing these ideas with a bit more prose:
"You are perplexed, my love, by this thousandfold mixed profusion, Flowering tumultuously everywhere over the garden grounds;
So many names you are hearing, but one suppresses another, Echoing barbarously the sound makes in the ear.
Each of their shapes is alike, yet none resembles the other, Thus the whole of the choir points to a secret law,
Points to a holy puzzle. I wish, lovely friend, that I were able to Happily hand you at once the disentangling word!— "
The Metamorphosis of the Plants
The Roman Elegies, for example, likely present an example of what awaits those who are willing to adopt and platform the more “feminine” perspectives Goethe found so abundant in Palermo (where, of note, rules on who could play what roles were much more loosely defined & subsequently outperformed the limited Shakespearean casting of Britain’s culture). This applies to Subba’s concept of Linguistic survival, commenting on our desire to create sentences or phrases that will always be remembered perfectly as a way to ensure we are remembered. In general, we want to ensure we are remembered, but Subba encourages us to ask how often we find ourselves doing the same for others.
When Elisabeth and Friedrich Nietzsche discuss for what is now translated as a 'revaluation of all morals', for example, they don’t advocate for anarchy or violence, as this would cause us to choose what we are told rather than what is right, not only what is pious - and that (to me) is to love and care for the people around you, and to do your best to lend a hand to others where you can. Similarly, Subba uses Fear as a way to show that there's nothing inherently wrong with complying in society, and encourages us to pursue a sort of "eustress" vs "distress".
All too often, we prevent others from sharing new perspectives or ideas because we fail to consider them as having something to offer in the first place. This problem was easily solved in ‘village times’ where new perspectives were vital and brought great potential to the people, who readily worked to understand them.
Subba uses this writing as a socratic investigation of the nature of our experience of fear, showing that actions we take during “fight or flight” responses are not always reflective of our essence as humans. The validity of Subba's arguments are reflected by Republic, for example, which shows that Thrasymachus major failure was that he lacked the self - reflective capacity to accept that other people may have equally valid but different fundamental unique experiences within the same world.
Subba’s view suggests that we consciously adjust our response to Fear through careful self - examination, enabling us to increase our potential for realizing the alleged Nietzschean ubermensch - after all, the Last Man is most often the one pulled from the herd. (Thus Spoke Zarathustra)
According to Subba’s philosophy, consciousness lets us select certain things out of the foreground that have to be reached out into, rather than leaving the human experience up to symbols pasted onto background states, waiting to be recognized.
Subba writes that, although we associate some things we encounter in our life - like animals or weapons as causative agents of fear, fearfulness, in reality, arises out of an error in our own ability to comprehend new concepts, for which we feel reflects on our sense of competency in society. The reason someone purchases them, in my experience, is because they are afraid of his own weakness and thereby attempts to respond by inducing fear without cause, which, in reality, is just anxiety (according to Heidegger). The way we turn Fear into fearful responses (i.e. so called Gestalt Principles) is something we, at least in large part, learn from those around us, and the same is true for our perception onto others. When we act in ways that cause harm to others or ours, be it actively or passively, we isolate ourselves by encouraging fear in place of discussion. The risk we run into is the exclusion of many perspectives that, at a minimum, are worthy of consideration.
Overly Fearful responses prevent us from seeing new things or ideas as beautiful and potentially worthy of consideration, preventing us from seeing the world authentically and developing a personal relation with an environment that encourages the growth of all life forms. We prevent the development of not just others but also ourselves when we shame or “other” the people around us who are attempting to learn or reintegrate into society by inserting their own sense of “how one does things” onto another's, thereby treading on their autonomy. Similarly, Sun Tzu might highlight the power in keeping people from investigating their own personal forms or identities. Marcus Aurelius also writes that “the soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.” For Subba, we should consider the view of Fear as a source of color in the life project of becoming the "purple thread in the long white toga." (Epictetus).
It is one thing to overcome yourself, but can you help others overcome theirs, even if it causes Fear?
For more information on his philosophy, Subba’s other works, such as Trans - Philosophism (2021) and Fearmorphosis (2023) which discuss these ideas further, and highlight the need for contribution from post WWII - era existential phenomenological perspectives, especially those wishing to study complex and challenging topics like embodiment and free will. As always, Philosophy is - to me - a home for discussion about anything and everything, and phenomenology is a field which seeks to understand and preserve the viewpoints and perspectives of others and ourselves in the most genuine ways possible; Subba’s work highlights the value in learning from, rather than simply ignoring or rejecting, the philosophical mockingbird that is Fear.
[James Micell Published this article on his Linked In page. He permitted to republish her on the Fearlessness Movement ning -DS].
Om Prakash Pokhrel
Assistant Professor, Gyanpeeth Degree College, Baksa, Assam, India
Abstract: The present paper aims to study the short stories of Arupa Patangia Kalita from a very new perspective in literary theory that is ‘The Philosophy of Fearism’, a first east - west dialogue, an emerging philosophy that deals basically with the issues of fear in human life. Arupa Kalita’s stories highlight her concern about ecology, social issues and the traumatic conflicts in human life; nonetheless, we can delineate her philosophical visions of Fearism in her portrayal of characters. The characters go through fearmorphosis, they are being watched by panopticans and sometimes scapegoat the innocent people, even the Nature with modern weapons and gun powder. Subba asserts that fear is terminator as it owns power of all power; Arupa kalita’s stories can also be interpreted with this perspective because the characters are found to be a fear Sisyphus, always under the multiple eyes or lenses of fear.
Keywords: Fearism, fearmorphosis, scapegoat, panopticans, fear sisyphus. . . etc
1. Aims and Objectives
This paper attempts to delineate the elements of Fearism immanent in the select short stories of Arupa Patangia Kalita, especially with regard to finding the philosophy of Fearism in literature.
2. Methodology
A systematic study of short stories from the collection "Written in Tears‟ has been undertaken. As secondary sources dealing with the theory of Fearism different research articles, journals, books, and interviews have been referred to.
3. Introduction
Fearism is a self declared existentialist philosophy founded by Desh Subba in 1999. It is a unique but mostly an eastern than western philosophy, emerged as a new critical theory in 2005 when it was first mentioned in Tapu Magazine published in Hong kong. Desh Subba, a Nepali contemporary philosopher, writer, poet, critic born in Dharan, Nepal and now lives in Hong Kong is considered as the founder of this new philosophy of Fearism. His self - published book "Philosophy of Fearism‟ (2014) depicts fear as a major and natural part of human life. “Bhayabad” is the Napali term for the Philosophy of Fearism, which was translated by Desh Subba into English for the Global society.
Fearism is that first consciousness of living which govern us in every phase of life. When we have a close look at our live, society or civilization, we are always haunted with the idea of fear at different level in different degree. Since the beginning of human civilization till today, no matter how much the progress in terms of science and technology to protect human being, has been done, the deep rooted fear has always affected humanity. We use everything for our safety purposes to make sure that we minimize fear but somewhere in the corner of the heart the looming fear destabilizes our peace of mind. The locks, passwords, security codes, alarms, CCTV, health care, Insurances, policies and so on are all results of the fear in us. These establishments are meant to minimize our fear, nevertheless, it still irks. Human being always have the fear of death, fear of loss, fear of disease, fear of society, fear of law, etc and this fear governs and controls every moment of life. Thus, fearism argues that “life is conducted, directed and controlled by the fear” (subba, 2014)
Beginning of Fearism:
Desh Subba says -
” The beginning of "Philosophy of Fearism‟ can be said to be accidentally emerged. In 1999, I prepared a novel entitled "Ujad‟ (desolate). A friend of mine Sharan Subba after reading the manuscript, he underlined the word "Bhayabad‟ with a red ink. I thought of it deeply for a quite a long time about the word. "This can be different‟ I pondered. ” (2018, subba) Subba means to say that this revolutionary term got a new dimension with his Brother Sharan Subba‟s kaleidoscopic observation on the term. Subba began to widen his thought on the term and kept ruminating over it with his friends resulting the most dominating philosophy of the 21st century with the publication of the Tapu Magazine published from Hong Kong in 2005. Thus, Nepal has made this place a "workmanship of a new philosophy‟ with a new vision of fearism. (subba, 2018). Hong Kong happened to be a new hub for the germination of this new idea and the visionaries and followers of different strata had choosen Prof. Dr. Tanka Prasad Neupane, a Nepali scholar as the first installed chairman of the "Fearism Study Centre‟ In Hong Kong. This study centre is committed to award "Tilmati Fearism Award‟ to an author who expands the horizon of the philosophy of fearism, to authenticate it Subba has mentioned the scholars namely Rana Kafle of Assam, India and Rajendra Guragain of Nepal, B Maria Kumar of India and Osinakachi Akuma Kalu of Nigeria for his book titled "The First Stage of the Fearologist”. (subba, 2018, 2 sept.) The Fearologist Institute, Calgary Canada was founded by R. Michael Fisher to promote the fearism studies.
Deconstructing Fear:
Jaques Derrida in his "Of Grammatology‟ (1967) introduced the concept of "deconstruction‟ to reject the notion of „structuralism‟ given by Ferdinand de Saussure. Derrida points out that the meaning is unstable not fixed and it is always "differ‟ or "defer‟ to another level for the playfulness nature of language. Desh Subba (co - author) in the book "Eco - Fearism‟ (2020) attempts to deconstruct the meaning of fearism to interpret the underlying multilayered meaning of the term. If we make an observation on the very term "fearism‟ in the past before "fearism thinkers‟, it is pertinent that in the past, thinkers, authors, spiritual leaders or typical Gurus had interpreted fear as a negative emotion or unpleasant feeling. Even some psychologist and motivational speakers were engaged in exaggerating its unfair impact on mankind merely for their own benefits without focusing much on its positive aspects. Fear, according to Subba, is very beautiful and positive consciousness of the world.
“Fear is a very similar (generally unpleasant) feeling (like anxiety) that arises as a normal response to realistic (or imagined) danger or threat. . . If you are rigidly attached to believing that fear is an emotion controlled by the amygdale of the brain (e. g. Le Doux, 1994), your scientifically - biased view will be challenged,. . ” (Subba, 2020)
Human civilization started with the concept of fear, primitive human being invented stone weapons to protect themselves, tree barks as a protection for the fear of cold and since then and till today fear is the basic to everything. Prof. Dr. Sanjeev Upreti Writes:
If we on peeling the layers of an onion, new layers appear and there remain void at last. Meanings are also like solid things –they have existence till a certain period. Gradually, original meanings become extinct and new ones start. The meaning of fear is also the same. We fear due to the meaning that we have heard, understood, and known. (subba, 2020)
Derrida used binary oppositions to clarify meaning of certain thing, but according to fearism binary opposition is insufficient in interpreting the meaning of fear as Subba said fear has tripartite opposition, he states -
“The constitution, law and order, government, police, and court all have been established for peace, happiness, and prosperity. In the absence of these, people fear murder, violence, theft, and robbery. Therefore, fear has tripartite opposition. ” (Adhikari, Akuma, Subba, 2020)
Recognizing Fearism:
Fearism with its foundation in 1999 as "Bhayabad‟ is able to attract many followers from different parts of the world. The book "Philosophy of Fearism‟ with its publication in 2014 consolidated a foundation on a new discourse in intellectual as well as literary world, and perhaps for its realistic applicability in human life the book won 5 International Book Awards in 2015 from USA. Thus, the followers of Fearism Movement are increasing and Africa has got the highest in number. The reason for the increasing followers from Africa could be the fear of war, violence, and starvation that is prevalent in African countries. It can also be said that fearism might have its impact in the North - Eastern Parts of India since it was once under the grim clutches of insurgency, violence and racism.
There are so many books written and published by different authors across the globe as a testimony to prove that the Fearism is really an emerging philosophy. Canadian author, Michael Fisher, Nigerian authors Osinakachi Akuma Kalu and Michael Bassey Eneyo, have already published books on Fearism, Indian authors B. Maria Kumar and B. S. Susmita have recently written the book ‟The Youth Dont Cry‟, (2018) is a critical commentary on the youth about their fears. “Philosophy of Fearism" - a First East - West Dialogue” (2016) authored by R. Michael Fisher and Desh Subba takes a specific focus on this philosophy pioneered by Subba from the east and Fisher from the west. A recently published book "Eco Fearism‟ (2020) co - authored by Bhawani Shankar Adhikari, Osinakachi Akuma Kalu and Desh Subba plungs into a profound analysis, prospects and burning issues of fearism to eco - fearism.
Eco - Fearism:
Eco - Fearism, a very new term was firstly coined by Dr. R. Michael Fisher in his technical paper 68 (Fisher, 2017). Fisher has presented the concept to illustrate Eco - Philosophy of fearism and Eco - Criticism which deals with eco - crisis philosophically as well scientifically. Eco - Fearism aims to generate a positive fear about the ecological global crisis in the heart of every human being. Fearism can be vocal in handling eco - crisis philosophically and scientifically because the rationality of the human being can direct them towards positivity that can help save the environment. The book Eco - Fearism –prospects and Burning Issues „co - authored by Bhawani Shankar Adhikary, Osinakachi Akama kalu, Desh Subba, (2020), talks about the formula of eco - fearism which states:
“I use life - consciousness - knowledge - Fearism, normally as theory in philosophy of Fearism. This theory can be applied any where looking its requirements. Now, Eco - crisis requires it. So, it is better to apply here. (2020).
Fearmorphosis:
Desh Subba has used the term Fearmorphosis in his book “Fearmorphosis‟ – Man is a fear Sisyphus being watched by panopticons” (2023) to deal with his philosophy of Fearism which carried forward the issues and ideas underlying the emotion of fear. Subba refers to the different kinds of myth, for example Sisyphus, the panopticon, the scapegoat, Das capital, and Metamorphosis as the most powerful driving forces for humanity. But Subba has tried to rewrite history, culture, politics, literature and philosophy through a systematic criticism of Sysiphus, the panoptican, and the scapegoat point of view.
Among a number of analytical perspectives, it focuses on classic existential literary teaching stories, like Metamorphosis, the Myth of Sisyphus, and No Exit from a new Fearmorphosis lens. (Subba, 2023).
4. Textual Analysis
The North - East region, geographically a place of hills and rivers, store house of tribes and ethnic groups, situated in the extreme corner of the map enjoys its special identity. Since the region is diverse in its manifestation of unique distinctive cultural traits, the literary activities of the writers of the region have beautifully demonstrated all these in their respective works. The writers from the region are found vocal in dealing with the heterogeneous modes of expression with their themes like ecology, trauma, conflicts, insurgency, violence, social issues, religious and cultural traits. . . etc as found reflected in the literature. Writers from the peripheries, however selective, are able to draw the attention of the mainstreams by breaking the rigid boundaries of their society. One of the most unexplored themes, seldom taken by any research scholar till now is the theme of Fearism in the North - East literature. Desh Subba, writing from Hong Kong inaugurated a new way of looking at the literature with a perspective of fearism that is deeply engrafted in every aspect of human world.
The writers from North - East India like Indira Goswami, Mamang Dai, Robin S. Ngangan, Temsula Ao, Mona Zote, L. Chandte, R. K. Madhubir, Indira Goswami, Mitra Phukan, Janice Patriat, Arupa Patangia Kalita have demonstrated the multifaceted ingenuity in their writing and the „cry‟ from the north - eastern region is no more inaudible in main lands. Fearism is a theory that can be applied to any aspects of human life and therefore, literature has proven the fact.
Among so many other writers, one of the most vocal from Assam is Arupa Patangia Kalita who has a good number of works to her credit. She is one of the leading voices in contemporary Assamese literature who won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2014. The stories in the collection to her credit vividly demonstrate the ongoing agitations and violence of indigenous people which leave a deep impact on the nature and the environment for polluting and spilling of innocent blood in the peaceful region. The beautiful region that was so dear and integral part of these indigenous people is no more the same since the agitators have exploited it to turn it into a place of violence and conflict. Arupa Kalita has articulated the theme of fearism emerged as a result of insurgency in her story collection and a good number of the stories are set at the backdrop of Assam Agitation. Assam has a very terrible history of militancy arising from various socio - political - economic aspects which aim to segregate themselves from main stream. Writers of different class have witnessed the evolving uprising from the very near and have made efforts to respond by producing works of impression to record those experiences.
Arupa Patangia Kalita's story collection ‟Written in Tears‟ (2015), which contains six stories, can be best read applying the theory of Fearism. In one of the stories, titled "The Half Burnt Bus at Midnight‟ narrates the terrible story of a bus entering the town at midnight that was set ablaze by a group of insurgents. Arupa Kalita tries to express her concern that violence and agitations were the daily activities those days in Assam and common people have to live their life under the fear looming always over them. „
'So the people remain fearful - like cattle after escaping from a burnt - down shed and now so scared as to fear even the hint of a red cloud. So they prick their ears instantly even if the sound of bursting crackers comes from a wedding party arriving at the bride‟s house. ' (Kalita, 2020)
The common people of the village always had a fear of being a victim of the insurgency; at the same time they were to counter the Armies who came into the village in a search operation. In Desh Subba‟s Fearism the Fear is primary, and others are secondary. Thus, the characters in the story Terrorists, Armies, or the innocent village folk are all affected by fear and the mechanism to minimize fear was the major concern according to Subba.
The story "Ayengla of the Blue Hills‟ also narrates the similar connection of characters with nature, Ayengla is a happy woman who lives amidst the blue hills with her husband, two children, paddy fields, with pigs and chickens. It shows her love and attachment with the ecology but at the same time ecofear is a matter concern for her. Ayengla is so distressed to know that the people in the jungle have planted a landmine to attack the Army patrolling group.
'Last month, an army truck had just turned around a bend in the hills when a landmine planted by those in the jungle had blown it to smithereens. ' (Kalita, 2020)
The bloodshed and the devastation caused on both mankind and nature is the reason of her fear in the story which is beyond her understanding that left her with sleepless nights. After the bomb blast villagers barely stepped out of their house and the harvest and the gardens were all empty with no attention. Subba, as stated in his "Eco - Fearism‟ - prospects & burning issues (2020) the character Ayengla is more concerned about eco - crisis and therefore, she fears the landmine blast in the hills. According to Subba –
“Central task of eco - Fearism is to do theoretical analysis to eco - troubles. The entire troubles path goes to Fearism. ‟ (2020, Eco Fearism, p - 47)
The story "The Girl with Long Hair‟ narrates about an indigenous tribal girl Mainao who is the product of her tribal culture and traditions. She is a cheerful girl with her small twinkling eyes and rounded limbs taunt with the sun and rain and she loves to be in close connection with the nature around her. Mainao is so attached to the soil, a happy–go - lucky girl but she is always under a grip of fear which does not have the liberty to enjoy her blooming days as the restrictions are imposed on her by the terrorist organisations living in the forest.
„The boys engaged in the andolan announced the ban and warned that those who defied it would be punished. Their word was law‟ (2020, p - 11)
Mainao is basically a happy - go - lucky girl she doesn‟t remain remorse during Durga puja festival, and enjoys it to the fullest even if there is a restriction from the agitators hiding in the forest nevertheless, a fear of being the target can‟t be ignored. According to Subba there are some fear factors or fear agents responsible for triggering fear in human being.
"They are simply known as objects of fear or fear factors. They are the agents responsible for triggering fear. ‟ (2020, p - 6)
For Mainao the fear factors could be the people residing in the forest giving the orders of ban, or the Army forces patrolling in the villages who might interrogate her for providing food stuff or asylum. Mainao is seen caught in fear dilemma whether to defy the ban or to overcome the fear and plunge into the mission of joining her friends to celebrate the Durga puja.
Another story "Arunima‟s Motherland‟ narrates how a mother goes through series of trauma and fear just because her son joined the underground organization. A wedding engagement of a daughter of the family was broken, a bomb was hurled into the house, the villagers always neglected and the mental agony piled up every moment in their life. Arupa Kalita gives a very vivid narration how the fear of being annihilated in the locality disturbed Arunima, her mother - in - law, father - in - law, and other members of the family. The fear of losing her son always destabilises her so she kept on asking others about the news of her son which she anticipates, might be a blow to her.
"What‟s happened? Have they arrested Rupam ? She was smiling.
No, it‟s about something else, ‟ she replied. „Something else? What happened has the other one died?‟ „I don‟t know, ‟ her face reddened as she retorted. (2015, p - 28)
The story "Surabhi Barua and the Rhythm of Hooves‟ narrates how the people who opposed the Assam movement were harassed by the agitators. Surabhi Barua who is a professor in a College had to go through insults by her own students of the college for writing articles against this agitation. She always feared to face the slogans shouted against her; the fear was so vehement that other colleagues advised her to go on leave for few days. ” The Principal advised Surabhi Barua to take a few days‟ leave. . . . (P - 196)
The story ‟Kunu's Mother' shows how a woman without the support of a man in the family has to live amidst alarming fear. After the death of her husband, Kunu‟s mother always felt a kind of insecure because she has a young daughter very attractive and beautiful. A young man, from a militant outfit snared by her enticing beauty, starts to woo her which is the central reason of Fear in the story. According to Subba, Philosophy of Fearism teaches the solution to the problems of life. Subba believes that man must learn to minimize the amount of fear and moderate fear can solve the problem. Here, in the story Kunu‟s Mother does not lose her temper due to the excessive fear of her problem rather she curbs it and looks for a solution by sending her daughter to some distance places so that her daughter continues further studies. "My aunt‟s sons have their own electrical repair shop. They have their own house, not like ours. . . you won‟t have any problem. My aunt will take care of you‟. (P - 176)
Albert Camus "The Myth of Sisyphus‟ (1942) describes about Fear but not to the extent of fearist thinkers because the myth says life is absurd where as the fearist likes to affirm the meaning in life. The fearmorphosis varies with prior ideas, like deconstruction and metamorphosis fear does not have a fixed and distinct feature. Desh subba, with his fearist theory, asserts that the human being must be out of this absurd position. ” I submit that a fearist generalization, is that the human must be free from this particular form of a victim idea and absurd position” (subba, 2023).
In the prescribed Short stories by Arupa Patangia Kalita the characters are the victims of fearmorphosis, every character is a fear Sisyphus in some sense being watched by „Panopticans‟ (Bentham). They always look at the boulder of Sysiphus which may fall on them in any form like the agitation, killings, bombing or being exploited by the Armies.
In "The Half Burnt Bus at Midnight‟ the people of the village have seen a burning bus rolling down towards them like the Sysiphus, Ayengla in the Blue hills is disturbed because the ecology, the blue hills are being destroyed by the terrorists with the gun powder, and bombs so, the ecoFearism is an issue for her. The whole nature has been "scapegoated‟ for human benefit, thus, Subba says - Heavenly Earth became Hell by our doing‟. (Subba, 23, VII) Mainao, a young and attractive tribal girl is under a threat for violating the "commandments‟ of the banned outfit. She is under a mental tussle cannot enjoy the freedom of her life, like participating in Durga Puja procession, so, always fearing for the expected debacle that might fall on her because of those foul elements. "Suravi‟ cannot continue her job in the college, gets the ultimatum, and runs away from the field for the fear of her life. Even the Principal of her college is a fear Sisyphus being watched by the agitator in the form of „Panoptican‟. „Kunu‟ and her mother faces the unending atrocities, always feared the consequences if she is not married to that young member of terrorist who is after Kanu so; the family is just a "scapegoat‟.
5. Conclusion
Arupa Kalita's Short stories highlights the theme of philosophy of Fearism which is the "power of all power‟. (subba, 23). According to, him fear is a terminator and it segregates all other weaker emotions to take a lead. The characters in the stories are somehow affected by fearism and for being watched by panopticans they sometimes remain united into one structure to minimize the fear. The profounder and the believer of the theory of Fearism argue that we have to learn to “fly with the term fear” and to bring it to life to bear new fruits. Arupa Patangia Kalita‟s stories have depth that explore multi themes including fearism, and a systematic and scientific study on her writings from a new perspective like Philosophy of Fearism can bring into light the unexplored aspects of literature, hopefully, helpful for the new research scholar in the coming days.
Note: This article was published in under given journal. With the permission of author and convence for reader, I published.
Paper ID: SR231121191911 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR231121191911 1550 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) ISSN: 2319-7064 SJIF (2022): 7.942 Volume 12 Issue 11, November 2023 www.ijsr.net Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
References
[1] Fisher, R. M. (2017). Eco - Philosophy of Fearism and Ecocriticism: In an Age of Terror. Technical paper, 68, Fearlessness Research Institute, Canada.
[2] Kalita, A. P. (2020). the loneliness of hira barua. New Delhi: Macmillan.
[3] Kalita, A. P. (2015). Written in Tears, translated by Ranjita Biswas. New Delhi: HARPERPERENNIAL.
[4] R. M. Fisher. (2022). Philosophy of Fearism. Xlibris.
[5] Rai, N. (2018, 2 September). "Philosophy of Fearism" is a unique Philosophy. Naya Patrika, Daily, Kathmandu, Nepal.
[6] Subba, D. (2023, 08/08/2023). FEARMORPHOSIS - Man is a fear Sisyphus being watched by Panopticans. Australia: Xlibris.
[7] Subba, D. (2014). Philosophy of Fearism: Life is conducted, Directed and Controlled by the fear. Xlibris.
[8] A. O. Kalu. (2017). The First Stage of the Fearologist. CrateSpace publishers.
[9] Camus, A. (1955). The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays. Vintage Books.
Ed. Note: Fearmorphosis book by Desh Subba 2023 reviewed here below, was first posted in The Existentialist Cafe group on Facebook. On that post David Grahame Armes commented. His comment cannot be shared with readers. For the convenience of them,with the permission of commenters, published. -DS]
****
Desh Subba, isn't this article saying fear of everything crashing down is fundamental in metamorphosis within people, economies and societies which has delivered every advance known to Humanity? I do not dispute that fear can be a huge motivation for most people, but this can go too far reaching a point where people no longer fear even death because they've had it up to here with fear, and of course many people find this extremely difficult to understand and frightening because such people appear out of control still living but with a totally different motivation. This is basically true. Nevertheless, it is people in this state of mind who have actually delivered the great advances in Humans and Society.
Without fearless Universalists like Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Gandhi, MLK, and Baron RAF Battle of Britain Air Marshall Lord Sir Hugh Tremenheere Dowding (who had a laugh claiming he never got the true recognition he deserved after WW2 whilst turning his attention to working with Walt Disney in the Fairy Investigation Society), there would likely be nothing to raise the endeavor of people from the barbarity of constant warfare of some sort or another.
World Religion was created and maintained by these people, and without tolerant liberal Religion as the first and arguably best form of Politics because it acts to unify despite what openly sectional politicians who brought it down say today, there really would be no universities, libraries, science, schools, industrial revolution, philosophy, politics, and comfort. Even an isolated Amazon tribe motivates its members through something greater than the struggle to keep alive, probably because that would be far too depressing and they'd all give up and die out. Even today in the seemingly secular West we still idolise Love and falling in Love as the highest motivation we could hope for even though being in Love confronts everyone with our collective desire to be Functioning Mad rather than still Mad but not Functioning so well. If the Sisyphus metaphor is correct here we have to madly embrace not being afraid in order to keep getting motivated to keep pushing the huge rock up the hill.
I guess I don't totally agree with the Fearmorphosis thesis, because in a Western mindset at least we desire to be fearlessly Mad and Free in order to get anything done.
In this respect we have been extremely successful so far, even if the Planet teeters on the edge of total destruction regularly these days. What Westerners say is Liberal Democracies that idolise Love and Freedom rarely if ever go to War with each other, so we are frantically trying to help everyone be as Mad as we are before the whole thing goes belly up!
The most radical philosopher of Fearism, Desh Subba has been battling over the
issues of meaning, in Jacques Derrida's deconstructionism. Subba who is founder of
Fearism and recently Trans Philosopism battles with the notion of deconstruction
that term has multiple meaning. It is not inherently so meaning changes according
to time and space, Subba said. Derrida discovered that
text has multiple misreading and interpretations at the end of the process
meaning disappears.
Derrida was nihilist Subba is a optimist.
Deconstruction is a postmodern philosophy but Subba goes beyond.
Deconstruction a mental phenomena but Fearism is neuro biological. Deconstruction dismentle the
very text through psycholinguistic way. In a nutshell Derrida considers consciousness is primary for Desh fear is primary, which deconstruct the
psychological structure of knowledge. Commentator Adnan Shafi deals with Desh
Subba's Trans Philosophiism for formidable challenges to do construction. He writes an article in Kashmiri Horizon. He questions the first book by Derrida's "Of
Grammatology" and its basis. He discusses writing and in play of language. But hunger, poverty and war are not
only play of language it has empirical basis which defines illusion and play in
discourse. According to famous Marxist philosopher Fredrick Jameson post
modernism is cultural logic of late capitalism which is decadent and useless
theory call so because deconstruction as a part of postmodernism defies the
value of the enlightenment which believes in fact, truth and rationality. Post
structuralist like Derrida, Foucault and Deluze are advocate of meaningless and
irrational. German philosopher Martin Heidegger first used the word Destruktion
later Derrida developed as deconstruction. Deconstruction was a
product of Europe west and Fearism is product of East. We can see
commonalities and contradiction in both philosophies. Before Fearism there were
dialogue and research between Derrida, Buddhist and Hindu
philosopher. These studies were religious and metaphysical. But Fearism
emphasizes the practical aspect logo centrism is a basis of deconstruction since
plato western metaphysics built upon the idea of truth, law and nationality.
Derrida deconstructs this notion and bring back to marginalized in the center
Fearism also deconstructs truth the logos like deconstruction leaves body alone
but Fearism carries it.
According to Harvard University psychologist, linguist and postmodernist
Steven Pinker has said more harm than good to our
intellectual climate.
It attaches truth and empirical world and negate the very
rationality of enlighten world. This vast subjective philosophy of Derrida is blamed for
deconstruction, Fearsm is not destruction. Its knowledge is ignored by thinkers. But Desh Subba, Michael Fisher and other fearists thinkers have developed and propagating it.
Fearsim deals with life positively and believes in reality. It also
applied to ecology, crime, mental illness and social sciences. In another formidable
book Derrida contradicts Foucault's 'Madness and Civilization' and questions to him because mad people are victim of socio-historical. They have been
marginalized for centuries they are matter of spectacle not human treatment. He
deconstructed the very idea of madness from narrow view. Because madmen
cannot enter the city of philosophers, likewise works of poststructuralist are
intellectual. Fearism involces in sociobiology. Deconstruction was a
response of Hegel Heidegger and Sartre. It is built upon European mainstream
philosophy but Fearism is universal and everywhere. Deconstruction creates the
thought paradigm but Fearsim challenges the very idea of thought itself.
According to U.G. Krishnamurti fear is connected to native intelligence of the
body. As Derrida put that metaphysics centers around the logos which has to be
dismantled in order to open new view in the text. In "Of grammatology", he
deconstructed the very language of philosophy and philosopher of language by
Jean Jacques Rousseau and very notion of spoken world. According to Derrida at least
written text has a space for tracing which he borrowed by Sigmund Freud
metaphysically he is influenced by Heidegger and psychologically by Freud. Derrida
was a mysterious philosopher who spiritualized, mystified and psychologized. The
Fearism is less mystified but built upon real human phenomena.
Philosopher Montagine said that we need to interpret interpretation more than
interpret thing, like deconstruction, Fearism does it. Western discourse has
maintained in the binary opposition include nature/culture day/night and
male/female. This opposition some are important for him.
Derrida opens more room in multiple way as signified hints various
kind of interpretation. Enlighten philosopher Rene Descartes said famous line, "I think therefore I am". But in Fearism, "I fear therefore I am suitable". Nietzsche was a
philosopher who proclaim that every text has multiple meaning which means
death of God. Derrida also in Nietezschean question the very notion of author.
because everything has said and we are interpreting the previous discourses.
There is no finality in deconstruction but lot of space remain for further east west
dialogue for deconstruction and Fearism in the republic of words.
Ramesh KC
Thinker/Critical writer
The most radical philosopher of Fearism, Desh Subba has been battling over the
issues of meaning, in Jacques Derrida's deconstructionism. Subba who is founder of
Fearism and recently Trans Philosopism battles with the notion of deconstruction
that term has multiple meaning. It is not inherently so meaning changes according
to time and space, Subba said. Derrida discovered that
text has multiple misreading and interpretations at the end of the process
meaning disappears.
Derrida was nihilist Subba is a optimist.
Deconstruction is a postmodern philosophy but Subba goes beyond.
Deconstruction a mental phenomena but Fearism is neuro biological. Deconstruction dismentle the
very text through psycholinguistic way. In a nutshell Derrida considers consciousness is primary for Desh fear is primary, which deconstruct the
psychological structure of knowledge. Commentator Adnan Shafi deals with Desh
Subba's Trans Philosophiism for formidable challenges to do construction. He writes an article in Kashmiri Horizon. He questions the first book by Derrida's "Of
Grammatology" and its basis. He discusses writing and in play of language. But hunger, poverty and war are not
only play of language it has empirical basis which defines illusion and play in
discourse. According to famous Marxist philosopher Fredrick Jameson post
modernism is cultural logic of late capitalism which is decadent and useless
theory call so because deconstruction as a part of postmodernism defies the
value of the enlightenment which believes in fact, truth and rationality. Post
structuralist like Derrida, Foucault and Deluze are advocate of meaningless and
irrational. German philosopher Martin Heidegger first used the word Destruktion
later Derrida developed as deconstruction. Deconstruction was a
product of Europe west and Fearism is product of East. We can see
commonalities and contradiction in both philosophies. Before Fearism there were
dialogue and research between Derrida, Buddhist and Hindu
philosopher. These studies were religious and metaphysical. But Fearism
emphasizes the practical aspect logo centrism is a basis of deconstruction since
plato western metaphysics built upon the idea of truth, law and nationality.
Derrida deconstructs this notion and bring back to marginalized in the center
Fearism also deconstructs truth the logos like deconstruction leaves body alone
but Fearism carries it. According to Harvard University psychologist, linguist and postmodernist
Steven Pinker has done more work to our
intellectual climate. It attaches truth and empirical world and negate the very
rationality of enlighten world. This vast subjective philosophy of Derrida is blamed for
deconstruction, Fearsm is not destruction. Its knowledge is ignored by thinkers. But Desh Subba, Michael Fisher and other fearists thinkers have developed and propagating it.
Fearsim deals with life positively and believes in reality. It also
applied to ecology, crime, mental illness and social sciences. In another formidable
book Derrida contradicts Foucault's 'Madness and Civilization' and questions to him because mad people are victim of socio-historical. They have been
marginalized for centuries they are matter of spectacle not human treatment. He
deconstructed the very idea of madness from narrow view. Because madmen
cannot enter the city of philosophers, likewise works of poststructuralist are
intellectual. Fearism involces in sociobiology. Deconstruction was a
response of Hegel Heidegger and Sartre. It is built upon European mainstream
philosophy but Fearism is universal and everywhere. Deconstruction creates the
thought paradigm but Fearsim challenges the very idea of thought itself.
According to U.G. Krishnamurti fear is connected to native intelligence of the
body. As Derrida put that metaphysics centers around the logos which has to be
dismantled in order to open new view in the text. In "Of grammatology", he
deconstructed the very language of philosophy and philosopher of language by
Jean Jacques Rousseau and very notion of spoken world. According to Derrida at least
written text has a space for tracing which he borrowed by Sigmund Freud
metaphysically he is influenced by Heidegger and psychologically by Freud. Derrida
was a mysterious philosopher who spiritualized, mystified and psychologized. The
Fearism is less mystified but built upon real human phenomena.
Philosopher Montagine said that we need to interpret interpretation more than
interpret thing, like deconstruction, Fearism does it. Western discourse has
maintained in the binary opposition include nature/culture day/night and
male/female. This opposition some are important for him.
Derrida opens more room in multiple way as signified hints various
kind of interpretation. Enlighten philosopher Rene Descartes said famous line, "I think therefore I am". But in Fearism, "I fear therefore I am suitable". Nietzsche was a
philosopher who proclaim that every text has multiple meaning which means
death of God. Derrida also in Nietezschean question the very notion of author.
because everything has said and we are interpreting the previous discourses.
There is no finality in deconstruction but lot of space remain for further east west
dialogue for deconstruction and Fearism in the republic of words.
Muhammad Iqbal
Fear is a fundamental aspect of human existence that shapes our essence as
individuals. It is an emotion that has been present throughout human history,
driving us to protect ourselves from danger and motivating us to take action to
address threats to our well-being. However, fear can also be misunderstood and
misused, leading to a culture of fear that stifles creativity and individual
expression.
The Philosophy of Fearism, developed by R. Michael Fisher, explores
the role of fear in human life and society, challenging us to live less driven by fear
and more focused on love and empowerment.
The Philosophy of Fearism suggests that fear can be transformed into other
emotions, leading to greater emotional resilience and wellbeing. It argues that fear
is often used as a mechanism for social control and discipline, but can also be a
source of resistance and struggle against oppressive power structures. While fear
may precede power in some contexts, it is not necessarily at odds with more
nuanced understandings of power, such as those presented by Michel Foucault.
Foucault's theory of power emphasizes the ways in which power is not just
repressive, but also productive and constructive.
It argues that power is diffused
throughout society and is expressed in various forms of social control and
discipline, of which fear can be one mechanism. However, Foucault also highlights
the ways in which individuals are capable of resisting and challenging dominant
power structures, suggesting that fear can also be a source of empowerment.
The Philosophy of Fearism is an interdisciplinary approach that can be applied to
various areas of human life and society. Eco-Fearism, for example, focuses on the
role of fear in shaping our relationship with the environment and how we can
transform fear into positive action to address ecological crises. This versatility and
relevance of Fearism in today's world make it an essential philosophy for
addressing a range of pressing issues and challenges facing humanity.
While it is certainly true that fear can be a powerful motivator, some critics may
argue that the claim that & quot "life is conducted, directed and controlled by fear" is
overly deterministic and reductionist.
They may argue that human beings are
capable of making choices and acting on the basis of reason, ethics, and values,
even in the face of fear.
Additionally, other factors such as social norms, cultural values, personal beliefs,
and individual differences can also play a significant role
in shaping human behavior and decision-making.
Ultimately, the relationship between fear and human behavior is complex and
multifaceted, and the role of fear in our lives is likely to vary depending on a range
of individual and contextual factors. While fear can certainly be a powerful force,
it is important to recognize the many other factors that can influence human
behavior and decision-making.
The Philosophy of Fearism challenges us to live less driven by fear and more
focused on love and empowerment. It suggests that fear can be transformed into
other emotions, leading to greater emotional resilience and wellbeing. By
exploring the ways in which fear influences our attitudes and behaviors, and by
developing strategies to transform fear into positive action, Fearism can help
individuals and communities to live more empowered and fulfilling lives.
In conclusion, the Philosophy of Fearism offers a thought-provoking perspective
on fear and challenges us to live less driven by fear and more focused on love and
empowerment. It highlights the importance of understanding the role of fear in our
lives and using it as a tool for growth and self-discovery. While fear may be a
powerful force, it is important to recognize the many other factors that can
influence human behavior and decision-making. Ultimately, by transforming fear
into positive action,
Fearism can help us to live more empowered and fulfilling
lives, both as individuals and as members of our communities.
Muhammad Iqbal,
Doctor of Philosophy (Phd)
Student of Political Economy,
National Cheng Kung University of Taiwan
Bhawani Shankar Adhikari (Ph.D.)
Lecturer of English (Nepal Sanskrit University,
Valmiki Campus, Exhibition Road, Kathmandu,
Nepal)
Abstract
This research has explored the role of fear and its outcome in the quest for beauty in Sylvia
Plath’s poem “Mirror”. Beauty has been defined as the source of power as well as the cause of
the annihilation of the entire civilization. Internal beauty has a superior role to external beauty.
The persona of the poem has been found engaged in the quest for external beauty even in her
old age which is unnatural and worthless. Extreme fear has acted negatively and devastatingly
to ruin the life of the persona of the poem. It has led the speaker of the poem to the horrified,
terrified, scared, and depersonalized condition which compelled her to commit suicide.
Whatever the search it maybe with fear, it must be focused on the balance form of fear to
maintain and achieve the goal in life. Otherwise, fear’s role and its effect tend to be detrimental
and destructive to reaching the destination of keeping beauty, peace, and harmony in life. It has
been analyzed how fear has acted and affected the life of Sylvia Plath due to extreme fear in
beauty’s quest in old age.
Keywords: depersonalized, fear, detrimental, quest, suicide
Introduction
Fear is defined as a psychological instinct. It is a natural one. Animals have fear in its natural
form which is different from human fear. Birds and other animals reflect their fear via their
body’s selection as birds fly through the human voice. Sensational knowledge is found in
animals’ fear. However, fear emerges through Psychology in human beings. in this
sense, man is directed, conducted, and controlled by psychological fear as it is
claimed:” life is directed, conducted and controlled by fear (Subba, cover page)”. Fear is
identified through Consciousness and knowledge in day-to-day life. fear is the outcome
of knowledge and consciousness.” fear exists only with knowledge” (Subba-47). Fear
functions in different roles in day-to-day life. Fear is the main cause of making errors
and conquering fear is the path to gaining wisdom (Russell 1373). There are various
kinds of fears- fear of Gods, fear of ghosts, fear of committing sins, fear of superstition,
fear of making mistakes, fear of losing health, fear of lacking beauty- and a person does
not like to lose beauty. Sylvia Plath doubts personal beauty and seeks it with different
objects. Beauty is power and it is of two kinds- internal beauty and external. Internal
beauty Is character, excellence, skills, and knowledge. Internal beauty helps us to
survive and to become successful in life. It is a kind of power to enhance the inner
quality of life. Internal and external beauty will be rare to achieve. It is called ‘inside’ and
‘outside’ beauty. (Sontag 300).
Beauty is not always taken from the positive side. Helen of Troy caused 10 years of
battle and brought disaster to the world. Padmini, the most beautiful woman of the
Rajput family had to burn down herself after the war was developed from her side.
(Devkota, 332-338) And she had to go to the Muslim king but she burnt herself to death.
Helen of Troy’s Trojan War and Padmini's Battle have generated fear in the psyches of
all in the world. In this sense, beauty lurks and hides the fear within its quality. The war
took place due to Helen’s and Padmini’s beauty being captured them. The power of
beauty invites risk, death, danger, and misfortune as has been displayed in the life of
Helen and Padmini. Likewise, Medusa, the chief of the three Georgian sisters was the
most beautiful one in the great mythology. The lesson states that she was the most
beautiful maiden, especially famous for her hair but she violated the temple of Minerva.
she was arrogant in her beauty and was Kicked in the temple. As a result, she was
transformed into a serpent and made her face so terrified that whoever looked at it
turned into stone. She was assassinated by Perseus. Her face retained its power of
turning anything into stone, even after her death. Her dead body with hissing serpents
was placed in a temple as a punishment for her beauty’s pride. The poem “Medusa” has
described the scenes which ended the mortal life of Medusa Who has pictured as
sympathetic in its description of the beautiful legendary girl Medusa who was caused
and charged into an ugly and horrible woman. (Bogam 380-81). This plight of Medusa
reveals that the power of beauty leads to disaster, destruction, horror fear, and
humiliation. Hence, beauty must be taken with care, awareness, and effectiveness with
the vision of its pros and cons. Fear dwells and hides in the traits of beauty.
Regarding Halen, “In the Homeric poems, she is the surprisingly beautiful wife of Menelaus, and
her abduction by Paris led to the Trojan war (Lohani 338)”. It displayed the disaster of Helen’s
beauty to draw the Trojan war for 10 years.
Padmini was a beautiful Rajput queen, A Mewar, wife of Ratna Singha. Enchanted by the talks
of her beauty, Alladin Ahilji attacked Mewar in order to achieve her. The Rajputs were defeated
and Padmini burned herself to death, before falling into the hands of the Muslim king
(Lohami338). Padmini’s beauty became a kind of curse in her life. Her beauty ruined her and
she turned out to be the victim of her own charming personality.
Research questions:
Beauty has been regarded as the source of power and glamour in mortal life. The research is
guided with:
A. What is the effect of beauty in the personal life of Sylvia Plath reflected in the poem ‘mirror’?
B: How has fear acted in the poem “Mirror”?
Objectives:
The general objective is to discuss the role of beauty in life but the specific objective is:
A: To explore the effect of beauty in the personal life of the poetess Sylvia Plath as revealed in
the poem “Mirror”.
B: To investigate the fear’s role as it has acted in the poem “Mirror”.
Methodology:
The research has been carried out in the detailed analysis of the poem “Mirror” by Sylvia Plath.
Fearism has been adopted as the lens to analyze the poem. ’Mirror’ is taken as a primary text.
The secondary sources are taken from other journals, magazines, and articles as supporting
tools.
Significance of the Study:
The significance of the study dwells to create awareness and consciousness in dealing with fear
and beauty. It has shown the connection between fear and beauty in which the role of fear has
opened how beauty has to be dealt with. Beauty has not turned out to be always positive since
it hides risks and fear. The invisible aspects of fear lead to the entire annihilation of life if the
beauty is mishandled.
Delimitation:
This research has been confined to the textual analysis of the poem ‘Mirror’ by Sylvia Plath. It
has only been observed from the perspective of fear and its role seen in the poem.
Literature review:
The poem “Mirror” by Sylvia Plath has been studied through psychoanalysis. It has been
interpreted as the reflection of the emotional condition of the speaker in a metaphorical
personification, imagery, and ironical form. (https://www./csue.org). It has presented that the
speaker herself has become a mirror reflecting the truth. In Ariel, the female's awareness is
transformed into a hall of mirrors, the frames of which are built in babyhood. These mirrors
eventually cut the woman off from any romanticized memories of the past, reflecting a Sleeping
Beauty painfully awake or asleep. Irreversibly dead. As in Plath's earlier story "The Wishing
Box," the theme of Sleeping Beauty's transformative rest is converted into a never-ending
awakening. (McCort 148) Plath used the children's book, as both a frame and a layered fraction, as a
mirror to sustain her own experience, making it an essential method within her devotional poetics for
trying to enter her childhood past and pondering the past's influence on her present. Plath's life story is
often framed by the mirror of children's literature, which provides a key to restarting her own mindset
and comprehending the manner in which she assimilated the frameworks of her society from the pages
of those children's books she loved and admired ((McCort 156). She has reflected on her own position as
a child in her poems.
Plath illustrates how connected the past and the present are in female experience, how profoun
dly females’ perceptions of their identities are grounded in the tales which have been told
them as girls, and how widely the self can be regarded as a continuously revisable tale (McCort
156). She reveals her own identity through the identity of children’s fiction and poetry.
Contradictions flow in both ways. Plath's individual demon is the truly horrible fish, the woman under
the water who has accepted her depersonalization and passivity and yearns for the numbing it promises
(Freedman160) The image suggests that the mirror includes the fish and that underneath it lurks a
monstrosity. However, the same picture may also suggest that a two-dimensional image of the angelic is
a type of monstrosity. In other words, the monster in the depths is also the beast on the surface, or,
maybe more precisely, the monstrosity of mere surface and lack of depth ((Schwartz 72). Accepting the
role of the mirror implies indirectly accepting the male-proscribed image of woman and mother
(Freedman 165). Aggression triumphs over tenderness in Plath's "Mirror," as well as many of her other
poems about motherhood and trapping. As a result, a woman who adopts the reflecting role has
become cruel, especially to herself, (Schwartz 72). The poetess has been reflected as the fish seeking her
beauty in the lake. The study intends to draw attention to Plath’s serious depression and identify the
mental disorder as a result of patriarchal and societal stereotypes. The outcome demonstrates that
hysteria symptoms such as depersonalization limited her existence and drove her to commit suicide
(Ghlib, 2593) The poetess’s depression has been reflected in her poem and it has
demonstrated how she has been forced to commit suicide.
“The Mirror” poem demonstrates that a life managed strictly by the false reality is not life
but, but an unbearable death -in-life that only be conquered by dying to that life (Kroll
1978). It displayed how the persona of the poem has been victimized inwardly and how
she has been seeking her own identity in the poem. The mirror shows the kinds of
traumas that, like Sylvia Plath’s, were hidden behind a tight and imprecise composure
designed to project an idealized picture.
Sylvia Plath worked tirelessly all through her life to reconcile her inner and outer selves
(Schwartz 20). She has turned out in a dilemma of internal and external conflict in her life. The
researchers have revealed the poetess’s mental disorder, personal conflict of inner and outer
selves, a metaphorical reflection of the condition of her youth turning into a mother and her
attempt to escape from her earthly life. But the role of fear and her search for beauty for her
existence has not been analyzed yet as this research has attempted to fulfill the existing
research gap.
Analysis
The poem “Mirror” has got two stanzas in which the first describes the condition of the
mirror as the narrator in the room and the second stanza imagens the mirror as the lake to
reflect the decaying beauty of the woman who does not trust to mirror and goes to the lake
to seek her true and factual facial appearance through the image reflected in the lake.
The woman laments the loss of her beauty, admitting that she is getting older day by day.
She has got the fear of losing her beauty and she has struggled of maintaining her beauty.
She does not long to lose her charming personality and she has put a mirror on the wall of
her bedroom. And the narrator is the mirror of the personified one. “I am silver and exact. I
have no preconceptions (Plath)” is the first line of the poem. The mirror is made up of silver and it says
that the mirror has not got any discrimination or preconceptions to reflect the condition of the owner
exactly what she is. ” Whatever I see I swallow immediately Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike
(Plath)”. The extracted line is presented in two lines in the poem and the mirror narrates that she
swallows immediately whatever comes in front of it and the mirror does not have any discrimination of
like and dislike and love and hate in revealing the truth. The mirror demonstrates the fact in unmisted
form but the owner of the mirror is the poetess herself and she has doubts with the mirror whether it
has reflected the truth about her beauty. She is scared of being ugly and she does not long to vanish her
beauty. The woman in "Mirror" is Plath's mother as well as Sylvia, who expresses her gloomy fears that
one day she will become her mother (Conway 42). When a girl is young, she has no need to consult the
mirror; she has no idea that the mirror will become so important. So, the woman has got lurking
longings of keeping her prettiness and charming image, and attractive personality.
The narrator is kind and true to anyone who comes to seek their image. “I am not cruel, only truthful ‚
The eye of a little god, four-cornered (Plath)”. The mirror’s eye has been considered the eye of the little
god in revealing the truth without being cruel to the visitors and objects of the four corners of the room.
It does not alter while reflecting the visitors. The mirror describes its existence and its owner, who grows
older as the mirror watches and finds the owner is scared of becoming old and losing her beauty.
almost all the time the mirror meditates on the opposite wall and it has stared at it
for so long that the mirror thinks that the opposite wall has become its heart. Faces
of visitors and darkness separate the mirror and the opposite wall (Plath). The image
of the wall is interrupted only by people who enter to look at themselves and the darkness that comes
with the night.
The mirror imagines itself as a lake in the second stanza of the poem. The mirror utters:
“Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me,
Searching my reaches for what she really is (Plath)”.
A woman comes to the lake and bends over it to get her beauty. she is seeking her true position and
facial appearance in the lake. It conveys that she is unfaithful to the mirror on the wall and she has not
become contented with what the mirror has got reflected. She has turned out old and lost her beauty
and she is frightened by the loss of her charming appearance reflected in the mirror. She is cynical about
her external appearance in the mirror and has gone to the lake to know what she really is. The poem
“Mirror” reflects not only the plight of women in Plath’s position but also the
predicament of all women who believe they must continue to stay young and
attractive in order to be regarded as relevant. In “Mirror”, the mirror proclaims
the woman a failure. Mirrors aren't necessary for a really successful woman (Conway
44). It shows that the mirror’s reflection has become troublesome and the woman has
feared her ugly appearance. She has not found what she exactly is and she has to go to
the lake in search of her beauty. the mirror changes in the poem’s second section with
the declaration, “Now I am lake”. A lake, like a mirror, represents and has depth, and
both portray a woman seeking for herself, maybe like Narcissus. This woman could
also portray Plath and women in general and they are unable to deal with what
they observe in the mirror and they are turning to those liars like candles. Lighting
candles and moonlight represent the feminine and they cast shadows that
disguise and expose. They can misrepresent while the mirror maintains its original
shape, mirroring precisely what is in front of it. In the poem, the mirror says. “I
see her back and reflect it faithfully”. Even though it horrifies and scares her as
the woman is drawn to it and goes to the lake. Plath’s use of glass imagery also
represents the packing of the authentic self. In the poem, “Mirror”, for example,
glass both conceals and reflects the person’s authentic identity and she has gone
to the lake. She has got the fear of concealing and reflecting the authentic identity
of her beauty. Plath depicts an internalized counterpart of the going-to-watch
awareness in the poem and she is narrating a life span of conversations with a
nameless, faceless woman who sees signs of aging as mutilation. She investigates
the impact of time, age, and the waste of youth using a mirror. Although the
speaker of the poem is the mirror, the true hero is the woman as an object who
observes oneself both in and as a mirror (Schwartz 70). The speaker as a female reveals her
inner fear that is being lost day to day because of old age she does not trust in the reflection of the
mirror and she seeks her beauty in the lake.
“She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.
I am important to her. She comes and goes (Plath)”.
These two lines of the poem depict how much sad she is by the loss of her beauty. she is terrified and
scared so much that she can not see her own face reflected in the lake and she weeps and cries over the
lake. She is with the river of tears dropping into the lake and she is even agitating with her hands. Lake
has become essential for her to know her true beauty and she regularly visits there. Her fear is beyond
her control and she has turned out to be conscious of her beauty as it is said consciousness and
knowledge are the main causes of fear (Subba 47). If she did not have knowledge about the loss of her
beauty with age, she would not go to the lake as a routine. Hence, she is fear-stricken and feels restless.
“Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness (Plath)”. She reaches the lake each morning and
bends over it to know how much ugly she is seen as reflected in the image of the lake. Her face replaces
the darkness in the lake by eliminating the sunlight and the light of the morning.
“In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish (Plath)”.
The mirrors are the best friends of those who are conscious about the beauty and attractive images they
wish to deserve as the speaker in the poem does. The woman has drowned in the mirror from a very
young age when she was a girl and even now when she has become an old woman. She visits the lake in
her old age day after day. She has been found like a terrible fish. It indicates how she has scared,
terrified, horrified, and afraid of losing her beauty in her old age. It has conveyed that she has been too
much scared and it has troubled her own physical health. She could not balance her fear within its
limitation. She did not have to be scared as much as she did. Her extreme fear led her to depression and
she became the victim of her own unnecessary fear. So, she committed suicide and fear has acted
negatively in her life. Plath became the victim of her extreme fear. The question is, what does she see in
the mirror that keeps her returning, fascinated day after day despite how unhappy she is by it? What is
it that she sees in the depths of the mirror that scares her? It could be age, inevitably transforming her
into a fish. Metaphorically, the fish occupies both the depths and the spirit, which may be what Plath
was drawn to but could not admit(Schwartz 71). The mirror in the poem represents the image of a
woman as a reflector of the other to itself. Plath’s double image of herself as a colorfully silvered surface
discloses a devilish form in both the mirror and the fish as represented in it. The mirror is the
magnificent persona Plath showed to the world as both a woman and a poet, the strict and firmly
disciplined performer who glitteringly completed all anticipations, a perfect mirror of obtained parental
and social standards of elegance, charm, and success. It is her social cast; artistic, frozen in a Cover Girl
smile, a perfect glimpse of the feminine ideal (Schwartz 71). The role of beauty-seeking tendency
became self-harming and deteriorating for the speaker herself in the poem. Beauty cannot be ever-
lasting and the search for beauty in old age and its extreme fear led her to take her life herself.
The poem’s first line reveals the consequences of a woman going to spend all of her
time in front of a mirror; she has wasted her youth, and drowned it in the depths of her
own reflection, much like Narcissus. One of the poem's main points is that being thrown
away into narcissism is a waste of time and energy. Mirrors do not make a judgment,
but simply "swallow," implying that whatever is reflected in them is irretrievable and lost
forever. Furthermore, the mirror is designed to reflect a wall. The woman has become a
non-entity as a result of her non-being and lack of self-definition for so long. She is
insignificant, a part of the various faces as well as the darkness that differentiates them.
It has been advised that extreme fear does not have positive outcomes. It can rather
tend to be self-destructive and detrimental to life.
The study intends to draw attention to Plath’s serious depression and identify the mental disorder as a
result of patriarchal and societal stereotypes. The outcome demonstrates that hysteria symptoms such
as depersonalization limited her existence and drove her to commit suicide (Ghlib, 2593) The
poetess’s depression has been reflected in her poem and it has demonstrated how she
has been forced to commit suicide.
Conclusion
The effect of fear in beauty has been found devastating, detrimental, and life-taking. The
speaker of the poem “Mirror” has explored the poetess, Sylvia Plath herself though the mirror
has been presented as the narrator in the poem. The mirror is the poetess’s own persona and
she has reflected the pain and fear in the process of seeking her beauty both in the mirror of
her bedroom wall and in the lake in the first and the second stanzas respectively. As the
poetess has found her beauty getting vanished with her old age, she has developed a kind of
doubt with the mirror concealing her factual identity and she has attempted to trace out her
real appearance in the lake. However, she has found no difference in her facial appearance and
beauty even in the lake and she has been found in the depth of her mental agonies and her
melancholic situation led her to depression. As a result, she has found no alternative solution of
replacing her beauty except committing suicide. Her fear turned extreme and it has been found
beyond her control and she has been victimized by her own extreme fear. The persona of the
poem has found that her conflict between the inner self and outer self, guided by fear led her
to mutilate herself. Fear horrified, traumatized, scared and led her depersonalized condition to
the persona of the poem and she became restless in maintaining her beauty in society even in
her old age. It was beyond her capacity as a mortal being and it must have been realized as the
natural process of life. Fear has acted rather dreadfully and negatively in the life of the persona
of the poem “Mirror” and it has compelled her to take her own life in vain. Hence, it has given
the message that fear must be within a balanced form rather than the extreme one for a
meaningful, worthwhile, and successful life. Otherwise, extreme fear acts to ruin the entire goal
and life itself as it has acted in the life of the poetess, Sylvia Plath. She has been found seeking
external beauty rather than internal one and it has been found unnatural in old age. Internal
beauty is gained with learning skills, enhancing knowledge and wisdom but external beauty is
natural and innate but it fades away with the passing of time. To fear such perishing external
beauty ruins life. So, it has to be accepted what nature has bestowed on mortal beings.
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A Review of Mr. Desh Subba's work by Abdullateef Sadiq, Theoretician and Generalist Writer, Nigeria
Let's begin with a story.
A king sent for a Man who he heard feared no one. Well, the king hearing that, although he has won many battles and made waste to land inhumanly, killed people and slaves and closed ones without second thought. The king summoned him immediately. Having on the top of his fence, heads of conquered kings and great rebels as trophies, with their wives as his concubines. Firstly, the king tries to confirm if the man knew what he has done by asking the man that fears nothing (let's call him F) if he knew him, the terrible king and all the stories of his ruthless and blood thirsty nature.
Mr F said, 'yes of course, I know you and heard all about you, and so what? You only conquered lands for fear that other kings might dominate you, or we might see you as inferior, or that according to the tradition of kingship and it's mythology, a display of brutality and war must satisfy the myth and unconscious forces of our custom and traditions. Also my lord, your imagination also is your master, and if it means by filling up a large field with human heads to prove over your inferiority complex of your personality type, you would do so. My lord, all these, you do, because of the system and instincts of fear revolving around your present life progress and spiritual station. If your position torments you, then your fears and it's expression by the super ego or ambition are your persona in this throne which it might not be your cosmic harmony.'
But the king, fearing more that someone knew something he never wished anyone knew. That someone knew his fear. A personal issue and subjective. But not yet. An objective and social issue lies also. " If People knew that the King wasn't feared, so they too were afraid that if that is so, their whole world view was a lie".
But the king, must satisfy his inner peace to still be the king. He had to prove to himself that all creatures feared him. He inquired if Mr F had a family or friend or loved one. They said no. So next was torture and starvation. But the man proved to enjoy pain, and welcomed the will to death, so even hunger was something he welcomed. His hands were cut, but he had nothing to lose. He had a disorder which made him feel no pain. The king was in fear, for even if he banished him out of existence the fact already existed that someone never feared him. The king committed suicide, because he was afraid to live life as such with such a fact. The king wasn't FEARLESS.
Here below are some remarks I made.
Now, I Present my Reflections on Mr Desh Subba's book on the 'Philosophy of Fearism" (Abdullateef Sadiq, Theoretician and Generalist Writer, Nigeria)
1. It's is, to use an institutional metaphor, an anthropology of the various human conditions and how they act and react to them that arouse fear. Sure, I skipped other early chapters because I belief we know the basics. The hierarchy and systems of schema such as an organization, the relationship of the mind to objects and realities that have an affect hold on him resulting to fear. They having the "appearance" based in the evolutionary epoch, mode of living (or production in Marxist terms) and culture of religion, philosophy, civilization (science, art and technology).......all masking the various modes of fear. But at the end, you tend to make a classification of fear. The dispensable, the gradation (minimum or maximum) and the one that perhaps seems to be innate (such as sickness, death, overwhelming of cosmic force and uncertainty of time).
"if you really want to make a field or a discipline of "Fearism" you would need to systematize the whole discourse"
2. On your use of concept and categories. You take the unconscious as an existing and autonomous realm. Although, with your use of some "Asian or Eastern" (I don't clearly agree with such demarcation as the history of thought has led me to believe) philosophies that unconscious is put in relation with some mysteries hidden as forces yet conceptualized but intuited by feeling of cosmic/material rhythm and sensual mastery of the body and environment (hence the "Asian"). This step, if I am correct in reading you is accepted to me as far as it remains open as a conjecture and to be tested by experience. There are many mysteries which I am sincere not to deny.
But the "idea" of post modernism and postmodern thinkers at least I might accept that Derrida took such a pledge, but not with Foucault whose text you lodge into such matrix. If you read his "Archaeology of knowledge" and also his "The Order of Things" (where he made some empirical analysis of the instability of "isms" and the arbitrariness of sciences and programs as "Modes of Discourse" each with its strategy of "Formation of Objects" you would see that by inference he would not be classified as such or even imply any post modernism). To confirm this, just see the second chapter of the "Archaeology of Knowledge". Perhaps the best way to put this is Foucault reply to Derrida critique of his 'History of Madness', this was imposed in his other edition as a reply to Derrida letter. It shows the difference and also that foucault doesn't practice philosophy neither sees it as a foundation neccessary for knowledge;
"What I have tried to show (but it was probably not clear to my own eyes when I was writing the History of Madness) is that philosophy is neither historically nor logically a foundation of knowledge; but that there are conditions and rules for the formation of knowledge to which philosophical discourse is subject, in any given period, in the samemanner as any other form of discourse with rational pretension." APPENDIX III Page 578. Routledge Publisher. Ed. By Jean Khalfa.
Also on your use of categories, perhaps, if you really want to make a field or a discipline of "Fearism" you would need to systematize the whole discourse, but I understand why the text is like that, with its literary structure still leaving windows here and there, because as you made clear in the beginning that other works and findings in different areas and by different people are making progress towards that "ism". That means they are under the research program of "Fearism". Well, the only addition I might say is that, it should be open to criticism and falsification of the concept any time, experience is the only thing that contradicts it's own results. This would help to keep an attitude of objectivity and awareness of bias.
3. On findings, you made (especially at your ending notes), an elaborate clinical and medical collections of observations, studies and professional reports of the conditions of life which fear is actualized either from a psychic, bodily, environmental (or "natural") and institutional source. That agreed and it is corroborated by many psychological, sociological and philosophical (beyond, Jasper, existentialist, Nietzsche and psychoanalysis schools) works I have tried to read to the best of my time.
COMMENTS
1. Your work helps to bring to Man the unconscious (which in strict psychological epistemology is just the mental process, habits and the contemporary and historical institutions known and unknown that have a grip on our social fabric of culture and life, hence the mystical feeling of it) workings and it's varieties to the consciousness of Man. By making it clearly, showing its various historical forms and also how even in the superstructure maintained by various elites and ruling class whatever their realm (science, legality, spirituality or politics and art) the idea of fear is almost innate and might (and is used) for the betterment of society or to its detriment or exploitation. I applaud this remarkable achievement. This step I believe, in your own version is quite novel and made apparent for those who wish to know and take life serious.
2. Another progress is it's collection of wealth of facts and making notifications here and there in different fields of discourse how "fear" relates them together. Also, I would add that a progress was made (also, as far as I have seen, a novel one indeed,) is the skill of making an elaborate classification of various feilds of human experience and also animal experience (for example on your analysis of fear in organism from micro to others as they adapt, feed and react to environment, but, whatever the notion or "nature" of animal mind might be still remains a mystery.) This was done at the beginning of your book which from there you took on the life or nature of consciousness basing it not on discourse or "knowledge" or "experience" but on what I might surely go with George Santayana as "Animal Faith". An elaborate philosophical discourse of the fact of consciousness playing a minute role and only called upon in the existence of animal life for survival and purposive (problem solving sure, a sign of "fear" also I think) reason can be found elsewhere. For example, to be found in the first two chapter of Alfred North Whitehead's "The Function of Reason" and also the second section of his cosmology of "Process of Reality".
Again in the work of that forgotten sociologist and philosopher L.T. Hobhouse's first part of "Development and Purpose: An Essay Towards a Philosophy of Evolution". Where we see on "conation" as the organic reaction and action towards an impulse but through adaptation it gets purposive (hence the adventure of conscious life beginning, for consciousness even in everyday experience is aroused to respond with the power of language for 'higher animals' like us, it deals with the discourse of essence related to the aim). See William Mcdoughal's "Social Psychology" to see how this description finds its form into the matrix of the whole social fabric.
"A work like Mr Desh Subba's, is surely deserving our serious attention especially if we choose to deal with it without the tradition of verbal magic and the cult of terminologies which are a true hindrance to fruiltful intellectual progress Indeed, a work to be revered."
To great extent, fear can be attributed to all sectors of development in human and in a civilization of humanity as large. It can be said rightly that majority of people are driven by fear in their lives. However, a section of people who matured rationally are not driven by fear rather than by knowledge, curiosity and these are philosophers and scientists. The driving factor if I can express in this way, is knowledge, to know and that the true aspect of humanity not fear.
I disagree with you (Subba) in page 21 where you mentioned that knowledge is a production of fear. Deep inside man, there is a drive of knowledge.
Kant argues, “human reason has this peculiar fate that in one species of its knowledge it is burdened by questions which, as prescribed by the very nature of reason itself, it is not able to ignore, but which, as transcending all its powers, it is also not able to answer”.
It is specifically for those who are conscious of their consciousness. Very few people are conscious of their consciousness. Every human has this reason but some suppress it for they are frightened of the unknown. Those who are courageous they accept reason and continue to answer questions which are challenging them.
I agree with you in the aspect that consciousness colliding with object produce knowledge. Most of the development in this world is a result of collision of objects with man. However, there is some questions or curiosity that are invisible which take place in human mind and seeking answer to those concerns and curiosities drive man to know why are they existing. This part is not driven by fear.
Knowledge does not generate fear rather it generates confidence and satisfaction.
Again, I strongly disagree with your claim that philosophy is not possible without fear in page 23.
It is not truthful, philosophy exists and it is possible without fear. Philosophy is love of wisdom and knowledge. For sake of philosophy, philosophers do choose philosophy and that is the reason very view people do study philosophy. It is the same that very view peoples are philosophers.
I admire the work and I support most of the statements that people without fear they cannot develop and cannot discover the goodness in them. Fear is needed to free some people from themselves to discover how great they are and to giver chance to others to grow.
Dr. Isaac Madok
Associate Professor of philosophy
South Sudan Christian University
St. Paul Major Seminary
Juba-South Sudan
Email: isaacmadok@gmail.com
WhatsApp: +211915914982
1. Immanuel Kant, "Critigue of Pure Reason", editors, PaulGuyer, & Allen W. Wood, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013}.