Barbara, an artist/researcher/educator and my life-partner has just posted an interesting piece, and expresses her concern of "fear of diversity" that is growing in America and with it and Trumpism a climate of anti-intellectualism like I have not experienced before where I am living. Here is her letter and post link.

Dear all,
I hope this finds you well. I am sharing new blog I have written in response to a fake news story that aired on an American national TV news channel last week regarding an art installation that I installed with students at Southern Illinois University entitled Dreaming Diversity. If you are want to know the back story go to my blog at

http://barbarabickelart.tumblr.com/

We are in a time of much fear of diversity in America-- and democratic education through the arts is more than ever being called for.  -BB

I think this is a good, second-tier, fearlessness perspective-- by Q'enti Wasi, an Andean mystic writer living in the USA. (Thanks Dan Millman, "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" for sending this to Four Arrows who sent it to me and I want to pass it on)-- it is so rare to find people with this kind of enlightened distanced perspective (or bigger picture) on what is going on in American politics today)-- you may compare this piece with some of the writing I have done on Trumpism on the FMning.

Go to: http://quentiwasi.com/2017/03/02/a-paqos-take-on-donald-trump

Ken Wilber, Integral philosopher, and pandit (scholar of spirituality and religions, and consciousness), has also greatly influenced my thought and life since 1982. Recently, I scanned all his books and searched for the term "fearlessness" and to my not surprise... it is only used once. He used in reference to his first wife Treya Killam Wilber [1], who died of cancer 5 years after they were married (see their book Grace and Grit, 1993). The fact he has been a Zen Buddhist practitioner and is well-versed in Yoga traditions etc., where "fearlessness" is an important concept, virtue, etc. It does astound me he has not written or talked about it all these years.

I am astounded why my major mentor, in terms of philosophical thinking since my youthful adult years, has not put this term "fearlessness" in his vocabulary and why did it become for me the most important term to articulate the path of enlightenment? A puzzler...

Ken Wilber, American Integral philosopher, age 68, with a deteriorating nerve illness/condition for the last few decades. He's still teaching and with over 35 books published.

Note:

1. He wrote, "Treya [who had malignant cancer near immediately once they were married] simply had no split between her public and private selves. I think that was directly related to what can only be called her fearlessness. There was a strength in Treya that was absolutely fearless, and I do not say that lightly. Treya had little fear because she had little to hide, from you or me or God or anybody. She was transparent to reality, to the Divine, to the world, and thus had nothing to fear from. I saw her in much pain; I saw her in much agony; I saw her in much anger. I never saw her in fear." (p. x, Wilber and Wilber, 1983, Grace and Grit).

Some of you may know that from the beginning of my learning about fearlessness, I was very influenced by Rinpoche Choygam Trungpa and his teachings on Shambhala, as Tibetan Buddhism in its more ancient Indigenous forms. Here's a quote on the sacred warrior along the path of fearlessness, I found today from Trungpa's excellent book (1984), Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior:  [this truly reflects my experience on the path]

"Experiencing the upliftedness of the world is a joyous situation, but it also brings sadness. It is like falling in love. When you are in love, being with your lover is both delightful and very painful. You feel both joy and sorrow. That is not a problem; in fact, it is wonderful. It is the ideal human emotion. The warrior who experiences windhorse feels the joy and sorrow of love in everything he [she] does. [S]He feels hot and cold, sweet and sour, simultaneously. Whether things go well or things go badly, whether there is success or failure, [s]he feels sad and delighted at once. In that way, the warrior begins to understand the meaning of unconditional confidence."

Looks like "Anne" was a robot spam ... has been deleted, sorry for the inconvenience, this happens now and then. -rmf+

I found this fascinating article (2014) in a journal Pastoral Psychology, 63: 625-39, recently by Gregory C. Ellison II, an African American Reverend and scholar-activist out of Candler School of Theology at Emory University, Atlanta, GA. It has this very long title: "The Way It Is and the Way It Could Be: Fear, Lessness and the Quest for Fearless Dialogues (TM)". It is very cleverly and creatively written--as well as deep.

I highly recommend reading it. For it offers an intriguing approach to bringing about better dialogues among diverse stakeholders on the great challenges of urban cities in American, especially how to help the African American males and their communities to help themselves via what Ellison calls "fearless dialogue." I won't go further into this at this point but will continue to stay abreast of his work with this mission, which I heartily support as it gives "fear" its due consideration in development work and thus contributes to the Fearlessness Movement overall. 

The first line of the Abstract of the article is intriguing: 

'"Fearless Dialogues (TM)" is the Civil Rights Movement of the 21st century," says Dr. Bernard Lafayette, an original Freedom Rider and internationally renowned human rights activist."

---------

I am always fascinated by New Social Movements of all kinds, but especially when "fear" is given such upfront attention. I look forward to hearing what you folks on the FMning think about his work (www.fearlessdialogues.com) and the article.

In my historical research on what I eventually called the Fearlessness Movement, Indigenous worldview at its ideal is definitely a foundation of this movement. Currently, Four Arrows (aka Don Jacobs), a member of the FM ning, and one of my collaborators on several writing projects on Fear and Fearlessness over the years, has written his latest piece in Truth Out e-zine: http://www.truth-out.org/speakout/item/39504-february-22-at-standing-rock-a-last-beginning

He asks all who are able to attend the latest protest stance.

He wrote,

"Joining the peaceful, prayerful Water Protectors on Feb. 21 and 22 in large enough masses will show the world that with courage to choose right directions and fearlessness to take action in behalf of them, we can protect our waters."

For full length article (and rest of this issue of Participation (journal) click onThe True Gift of Education

Figure 1  A-ness/D-ness Assessment Tool (by R. M. Fisher, (c) 1984)

[This diagram of four models of creating, was initiated as a thought experiment. Being a visual artist all my life, and having read lots of philosophy and other things that were attempting to figure out how humans form values and act upon them, etc., I asked one day in 1984, "If I were a Creator, what are all the different ways I could draw and color a shape?" I just picked up some basic materials for drawing and coloring, and set forth using the "rectangular shape" as an arbitrary shape. I could only come up with these four very different ways to create and thus answer the question I posed. Any sub-variations were not distinct enough to classify as a type. I settled with these four, and there is a more complex theory behind this which I have written about but it would take up more than I want to cover here. I then came up with questions to ask people about these four models/paradigms and that's a whole other study for analysis, but not here.]

In my writing on Four Arrows' life and work for a new book entitled Fearless Engagement, I have discovered an interesting concept of "fearless intimacy" (not that I coined the term, but it did arise in my own writing independently). I like this when things like that happen and I have another way to come at notions that I have been theorizing for a long time, like the notion of "fearless"--which, in the new book I'm writing (with Four Arrows) the plan is to label it Fearless (with a capital letter) as to distinguish it from the more common language that people use for "fearless" (with no capital). That's a long technical explanation for the capitalization and how Fearless is being articulated, and you'll have to wait for the book before I can share all that detail. It will come out in early 2018 I hope.

Now, to Figure 1 which is the reason for this blog post. I made the linkage while writing recently on fearless intimacy, seeing it connected to Four Arrows' Indigenous worldview writings and his CAT-FAWN Connection theory ('F' in FAWN stands for Fear), and then his use of the Lakota Indigenous conception of wolokolkiciapi- peace within oneself and all of creation (recently, from a chapter he has going to press). Anyways, all three of these aspects, plus knowing so much about Four Arrows' experiential journey at the extremes of experiences for many decades (he's now 70 yrs. old), it occurred to me he was describing D-ness (Figure 1) as an aesthetic visual expression (representation) of "Fearless." Now, when I first designed Figure 1 as a visual metaphoric test to assess people's aesthetic value biases, and worldview biases that go with that, it never fully came to me that the qualities of D-ness are as close visually as I could imagine it, and create it on paper with drawing and coloring materials to Fearless (and the three aspects of Four Arrows' work I mentioned above). And, yes, D-ness represents best what I (and perhaps others below) have called "fearless intimacy".

Three references to uses of "fearless intimacy" that showed up in a quick Google search are:

1. regarding the writing done by John Muir, the great American naturalist, Ehrenfeld (2008) described it as "his [Muir's] fearless intimacy with nature" (p. 284). This would certainly be similar to what I have learned from a lot of Four Arrows' writing, as Nature (with a capital) is so critically important in his life and theories, and the 'N' in FAWN of his theory stands for Nature. Ehrenfeld, D. (2008). Becoming good ancestors: How we balance nature, community, and technology. NY: Oxford University Press.

2. "When we refuse to listen, we must ask ourselves if we can hear our own inner voice over the fear that is running so much of life. Learning the art of listening is a powerful tool toward fearless intimacy and self-empowerment" (p. 158). In Britten, R. (2005). Change your life in 30 days: A journey to finding your true self. NY: Penguin.

3. "When there are no resistances, we then merge contract, close our eyes and in the darkness of our primal world, we rediscover the peace and pleasure of dark and fearless intimacy" (p. 105). Salzman, W. (2007). Ortho Para V. Lulu.com.

So, my take on "fearless intimacy" from all the writers above, including Four Arrows (who hasn't yet used this term per se), is that D-ness, especially in contrast to A-ness at the opposite extreme of the spectrum of ways of creating and organizing and solving a problem, shows us in this spectrum of possibilities, the "right way" to go. I use this strong ethical language in the same sense that Four Arrows does in most all his writing and teaching. He, like myself, are not timid in calling out for current humanity to awaken to the binary road we can take--the first road leads in the direction of D-ness, of which the Lakota term (as Four Arrows' interprets) is traditionally called the "Red Road" and therein is the manifestation of wolokolkiciapi- peace within oneself and all of creation. The other road, is in the direction of A-ness (beginning with any compromised reductionism of D-ness, to C-ness, to B-ness and eventually, horrifically, to A-ness as a way of being). So, there's some theory and a visual mnemonic device to complement the CAT-FAWN mnemonic [1] that Four Arrows offers in his work. Great dialogue to come on all this, as Four Arrows and I are still in the early stages of bringing these two models/theories/praxes together. I am excited for its powerful potential as a new 'fear' vaccine like this planet has not seen before combined this way.

End Note

1. See Four Arrows book (Jacobs, D. T.) (1998). Primal awareness. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions ... it will give you the full explication of CAT-FAWN Connection.

The 'C' stands for Concentration, 'A' for Activated, 'T' for Transformation, 'F' for Fear, 'A' for Authority, 'W' for Word(s), 'N' for Nature.

Like most "Systems", I never get along with them well. Wikipedia was where I built the following article and stored it on their sandbox works in progress pages, but now I see after a year or more they pulled it all down without any reason. This is not my first experience with such arrogance. I'll post it here for archival purposes, and if anyone else wants to post this up on Wikipedia and knows how to do it without getting it slammed down, go for it.

 User:Fear educator/sandbox

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 [page is under construction]  -Feb. 10/16

Fearlessness Movement

Fearlessness Movement (also known as World's Fearlessness Movement, In Search of Fearlessness Movement, Fearlessness (R)Evolution, Fearlessness Tradition) refers to a global, universal, usually loosely defined and organized category of activities signifying a historical thought or critical consciousness movement. Although written and conceived as "the fearlessness agenda on this planet" in 1997 [1], the term "Fearlessness Movement" was inferred in 2000 and coined in 2003 [2] by the Canadian self-proclaimed postmodern-integral fearologist [3] and educator, R. Michael Fisher [4]. The Movement's priority, within the context of nonviolence and liberation resistance movements, is dedicated specifically to unraveling the problems created by fear for Homo sapiens (and also other species). Individually and collectively, the Fearlessness Movement fundamentally serves to move us from fear to fearlessness, acting as a fear-vaccine and systematic counter-resistance to the insidious 'Fear' Problem (also known as 'Fear' Project, 'Fear' Matrix, Fear/Anxiety Complex) [5], and its ideological underpinning in systemic fearism-t' [6] with its various symptoms such as terrorism and other diverse culture of fear phenomena [7].Fearlessness Movement ning was initiated in 2015 by R. Michael Fisher and Barbara Bickel to act as a global network to coalesce knowledge and interests to promote this work.


Contents: 1. History 2. Philosophy, Theory, Practice 3. See Also 4. References


History

There is no known source or date when the Fearlessness Movement began though some manifestations throughout history have been tracked and labeled at times by scholars or populist leaders, for example: the Burma Fearlessness Movement [8] (a late 20th-century form of the ancient gift of fearlessness cultures [9] and their spiritual tradition in the far East, with roots in the worldviews of many Indigenous cultures [10]), The League for Fearlessness (early 20th century esoteric form, USA [11], A Course in Miracles (1960s-70s new age form, USA [12], Shambhala Warrior Training (late 20th century Buddhist form, USA) [13], In Search of Fearlessness Project (late 20th century emancipatory form, Canada) [14], Fearlessness Revolution (early 21st century populist liberal form, USA) [15], and Fearism philosophy movement (early 21st century scholarly/populist form from literary theory and activism out of Nepal) [16]. Simultaneously, there are unconscious and systematic distractors, resistors, and enemies of fearlessness [17] not to be underestimated.


In distinction to the above in the context of a post-9/11 era and global economic crisis, are calls for a "culture of fearlessness" contra "culture of fear" (e.g., regarding innovation at Google, Inc.) [18], which tend to be less overtly political or traditional forms of the Fearlessness Movement. Many (not all) of the latter forms use "Fearless" to name their self-declared reform, movement, or revolution under the premise of a for-profit business venture [19]. Fear and fearless are now sexy marketing terms for just about everything, with little to no critical analysis of the terms fear, fearlessness or fearless themselves or establishing an obvious developed relationship to the Fearlessness Movement traditions.


Although there are several mainstream scholarly works on the history of fear [20], there are no such works on the history of fearlessness. Therefore, the global Fearlessness Movement has no systematic documented history. The first attempt, a very brief introduction, was published by Fisher in 2007, in which the abstract says, "Although the In Search of Fearlessness Project (1989-) is coming on towards its 18th birthday, it has always been important to locate this Project as a New Social Movement [i.e., Fearlessness Movement], with an ancient-rooted past in a concrete history of liberation movements (E. and W.).... This paper provides an introduction to several exciting discoveries and initiatives that have led to clarifying both the importance of this historical ground/consciousness for the Fearlessness Movement (and ISOF Project) and clarifying the future possibilities for researching and writing a history of fearlessness" [21].


Philosophy, Theory, Practice

The ancient roots of a perennial ethical philosophy (E. and W.) which posits that Love is greater than fear, and the path and virtue of fearlessness (e.g., The Bagavad Gita [22] is the way from fear to Love, violence to nonviolence) (i.e., ahimsa), is indicative of the Fearlessness Movement's foundational philosophy, theory and practice of fearlessness, also defined as the basis of compassion [23]. In general, this philosophy of fearlessness is more accepted by Eastern religions and philosophies than Western, according to Fisher's unique research synthesis of the Fearlessness Movement, and its base in the World's Fearlessness Tradition and teachings (E. and W.) [24]. He posits premises of a critical and radical philosophy of nonviolence and liberation and a theory of fearlessness and "paradigm of fearlessness" (as 'fear' vaccine [25]) of which are essential to better understand fear and fearlessness and their intimately interrelated roles and impacts. He also distinguishes the Fearlessness Movement or "historical fearlessness" or "ethical fearlessness," with a developmental and ethical evolutionary trajectory, from individual "behavioral fearlessness," the latter the more common but reductionistic understanding and use of the term fearlessness [26].


In 2000, Fisher published on the connection of nonviolence movements and "fearless movement" toward a "fearless society" he had conceived, one that was inspired by many leaders, of which Mahatma Gandhi and his Satyagraha independence movement was foremost in its clear conception of the pivotal role of fearlessness. Gandhi once said, "God is fearlessness" [27]. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama once said to Westerners, "Don't fear fearlessness" [28]. Fisher wrote, "[A]s an educator, I am interested to challenge our ways of understanding and defining violence and the ways that we think are 'best' to deal with violence in all kinds of formal and informal learning sites. This publication is intended to briefly document a growing (populist and academic) movement that suggests that a non-violent society can only be founded on fearlessness--the ethical path of a fearless life--a way of 'Love.' The way to 'Love,' I argue (and this fearless movement suggests), is to better understand the nature and role of 'fear' and its impact on this planet." He suggests in his 2010 book that diverse, mostly independent sub-movements, more or less organized, express the spirit of the Fearlessness Movement, revolving around valued concepts like bravery, courage, without fear, freedom from fear, fear-less, no fear and fearless. In 1997, Fisher published on a growing "strong tradition and several new 'movements' (both secular and religious) that are anti-fearlessness" [29].


How does one join and carry out the mission of the Fearlessness Movement? There is usually no strict membership although some groups may have some criteria for such. If one decides to join the Movement that's all that is required, although various disciplined practices such a meditation, mindfulness, aesthetics, concentration, sensitivity, prayer, contemplation, fearanalysis [30], healing, martial arts, sacred warriorship, yoga, transformation etc. often contribute to a maturing mastery of fearlessness. The basic educational component is to learn/teach, with a critical lens, everything one can about fear ('fear') and fearlessness from diverse perspectives and synthesize these into one's own philosophy, theory and practices. It is essential, according to Fisher, that we promote a unifying of the Fearlessness Movement as a spirit to improve our current inadequate fear management/education curricula and pedagogy, aiming towards a healthy and emancipatory fearuality [31].


See Also


References

1. Fisher, R. M. (1997). Defining the 'enemy' of fearlessness. Technical Paper No. 6. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute, p. 1. Available @ http://csiie.org/mod/page/view.php?id=3 2. He intimated such a "fearless movement" in a 2000 publication, preferring in later writing to use "fearlessness" instead. The movement concept with fearlessness existed from the inception of his project and writing on fear and fearlessness begun in 1989 with the In Search of Fearlessness (ISOF) Project. The "fearlessness movement" (no caps) was first coined in 2003 @ http://www.feareducation.com/ and click on "Projects". See Fisher, R. M. (2000). The movement toward a fearless society: A powerful contradiction to violence. Technical Paper No. 10. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. Available @ http://csiie.org/mod/page/view.php?id=3. It is unclear when others started using the term but most uses seem to be after 2003. Fisher uses caps on the term a few years later. 3. For a brief description of the nascent profession of fearology and role of a fearologist see http://www.wildculture.com/article/disappear-fear-quick-fix-fear-pill-and-its-discontents/1276 4. For scholarly summary of his work go to http://csiie.org/mod/page/view.php?id=3 and biography summary/cv go to:http://csiie.org/mod/page/view.php?id=10 5. Fear with (') marks refers to not merely biophysiological and psychological fear but a sociocultural and political construction of 'fear' that is much more complex, invisible and insidious. See discussion of the problems of defining fear (and 'fear'), for e.g., in Fisher, R. M. (1995/12). An introduction to defining 'fear': A spectrum approach. Technical Paper No. 1. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. Available @ http://csiie.org/mod/page/view.php?id=3 6. Although there are some different uses of this term in popular and scholarly literature (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fearism), the use here refers primarily to that articulated in Fisher, R. M. (2014). Towards a Theory of Fearism. Technical Paper No. 51. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. Available @ http://csiie.org/mod/page/view.php?id=3. A revisionary notion of "fearism-t" (as toxic form) is articulated in Fisher and Subba (2016), Philosophy of Fearism: A First East-West Dialogue." 7. For a quick good synopsis of the "human fear-problem" see Overstreet, B. W. (1951/71). Understanding fear in ourselves and others. New York: Harper & Row, 11-22; for a brief introduction to the culture of fear dynamics in contemporary society and Fisher's view as well, see http://www.ucobserver.org/features/2013/01/scared_senseless/ 8. The Burmese Fearlessness movement, based on the populist uprising in support of the Burmese opposition politician and political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi between 1989-10, and a later inspired movement with somewhat parallel aims regarding a political prisoner in Thailand led to the Thailand Fearlessness movement. See Fry, G. W., Nieminen, G. S., and Smith, H. E. (2003). Historical dictionary of Thailand. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 34. 9. Religious scholar Maria Hibbets (now Heim) has documented a religious, spiritual and ethical perennial philosophy at the core of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism in the far East, of which the ideal is to not think or act from fear and thus bring not fear (and its associated violence) to others (including other species) or oneself in all arenas of life. It is widely known in south Asian cultures as abhaya-dana or "gift of fearlessness." See Hibbets, M. (1999). Saving them from yourself: An inquiry into the south Asian gift of fearlessness. Journal of Religious Ethics, 27(3), 437-62. See also Heim, M. (2004). Theories of the gift in south Asia: Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain reflections on Dana. New York: Routledge. 10. A leader of this current thinking is the Indigenous educator, Four Arrows (also Don Trent Jacobs), who has written of the close parallel of fearlessness in the worldview of Gandhi and American Indian thinking. See Four Arrows (2006). Epilogue. In Four Arrows (Ed.), Unlearning the language of conquest: Scholars expose anti-Indianism (pp. 273-80). Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 279. See also Four Arrows (with Ed McGaa or Eagle Man and R. Michael Fisher), chpt. 13 "From Fear to Fearlessness (Religion/Psychology and Spirituality)" in Four Arrows (2013). Teaching truly: A curriculum to Indigenize mainstream education. New York: Peter Lang. 11. The League for Fearlessness: An International Movement to Free the World from Fear was organized by 50 people, inaugurated Oct. 17, 1931, led by an esoteric spiritual group in New York City, associated with the theosophist Alice Bailey and directly facilitated by her husband Foster Bailey (a 33rd degree Freemason). It seems to have either gone underground under a different name or else folded rather soon after its inception(?). See reprint of this brochure in-full, and its counter aims to the dominating climate of fear during the Depression, in Appendix 2 in Fisher, R. M. (2007). History of the Fearlessness Movement: An Introduction. Technical Paper No. 22. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. Available @ http://csiie.org/mod/page/view.php?id=3 12. The Course as it is known in popular circles (for short) is a channeled book of spiritual teachings that began in the mid-60s, based on a unique blend of Eastern (e.g., Advaita) and Western (Christian mysticism, and new age esotericism) thought and practices. The teachings came with the intent of moving human motivation from fear to Love. Marianne Williamson is one of the most popular teachers of this book and movement today.See discussion in Harman, W., and Rheingold (1984). Higher creativity: Liberating the unconscious for breakthrough thoughts. Los Angeles, CA: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 115-18. Also see the book: Foundation for Inner Peace (1975). A Course in Miracles. Tiburon, CA: Foundation for Inner Peace. 13. This is based on the ancient sacred warriorship tradition in Tibet, carried forth into North America and has spread across the world in the last few decades, based on the teaching primarily of the late Rinpoche Choygam Trungpa (Naropa Institute, Boulder CO). Trungpa's classic book, with important writing on fear and fearlessness inspires many, including Fisher's In Search of Fearlessness Project. See Trungpa, C. (1984/07). Shambhala: The sacred path of the warrior. Boston, MA: Shambhala. See also http://www.shambhala.org/shambhala-training.php. 14. In Search of Fearelssness Project (ISOF) was co-founded by Robert M. Fisher (now R. Michael Fisher) and his intimate partner Catherine V. Sannuto in the fall of 1989 in Calgary, AB, Canada. ISOF Project was a counter to what Fisher then called the historical global 'Fear' Project. Inspired by a transpersonal love and study of sacred warriorship traditions (See Also), the organization (incorporated as a non-profit in 1995, closed down in 1999) had its identity and liberation mission from the start envisioned as "a therapeutic community dedicated to 'freedom from all forms of violence, oppression and hurting'." Fisher began the In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute in 1991 as the research, publishing and educational wing of the ISOF movement. That same year Barbara Bickel, his next intimate partner, co-founded the In Search of Fearlessness Center (Calgary), which operated as a small not-for-profit business until 1999. Info. on ISOF taken from The Glenbow Museum public archives (Calgary, AB) http://ww2.glenbow.org/search/archivesMainResults.aspx?XC=/search/archivesMainResults.aspx&TN=MAINCAT&AC=QBE_QUERY&RF=WebResults&DL= 0&RL=0&NP=255&%0AMF=WPEng Msg.ini&MR=5&QB0=AND&QF0=Main%20entry+|+Title&QI0=Centre+Gallery+fonds. See also more history @ http://www.feareducation.com and click on "Projects." 15. Arianna Huffington, populist liberal author of On Becoming Fearless and founder of Huffington Post, has politically challenged (especially) Republican party politics in the USA during the George Bush Jr. presidential campaign (2004-08) because of fear-mongering tactics to win votes. Bloggers (for e.g., http://www.punditmom.com/2006/10/on-becoming-fearless-part-2) have argued she is leading the "groundwork for a fearlessness revolution" and helping (especially women) start (in Huffington's words) an "epidemic of fearlessness," which Huffington calls "counteroffensive," in order to resist abuses of fear in politics (and everywhere). See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/why-we-need-an-epidemic-o_b_28561.html. Huffington in a CNN.com (Sept. 26, 2006) interview with Miles O'Brien says she started a "Becoming Fearless" section in the Huffington Post to encourage women to tell their stories about fear and overcoming it and "to start a kind of fearlessness movement, if you will." Available @ http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0609/15/ltm.04.html 16. This movement (somewhat like existentialism in the West) arose around 1999 from Eastern literary theory and circles in Nepal, as they attempted to define a particular signature to Nepali literature, based primarily around the writing and new book by Subba, D. (2014). Philosophy of fearism: Life is conducted, directed and controlled by the fear.' ''Xlibris. The "fearist perspective" (p. 11) as Subba calls it, is focused on assessing life from the point of view of fear as the major shaping influence/motivation, while at the same time working as a powerful ideology to help humans better manage fear on the grounds of fearism which asserts "We always seek a fearless path, and our civilisation has developed continuously along this path" (p. 273), a telos that is also brought forward in R. Michael Fisher's "In Search of Fearlessness Project." In 2015, Fisher and Subba joined forces for an W-E exchange in co-authoring their first book entitled "Philosophy of Fearism: A First East-West Dialogue" (Xlibris, 2016)--wherein, Fisher takes his philosophy of fearlessness and merges it with a philosophy of fearism. Fisher has also supported and critiqued Subba's "fearism" usage making his own distinction (i.e., fearism-t) when it comes to ideologism and a strong political context for the term. See Fisher, R. M. (2014). Towards a theory of fearism. Technical Paper No. 51. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. 17. Although many such enemies and processes of resistance could be documented, a preliminary analysis of these was conducted in Fisher, R. M. (1997). Defining the 'enemy' of fearlessness. Technical Paper No. 6. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. Available @ http://csiie.org/mod/page/view.php?id=3 18. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/20/AR2006102001461.html 19. For an example of a more social entrepreneurial campaign of this form by an influential leader Alex Bogusky, see "FearLess Revolution" http://fearlessrevolution.com/alex-bogusky/. For an example of a less political and more business (coaching) psychological form see http://yasminekhater.com/fearlessrevolution/. For examples of Christian-based ventures (and/or groups) using "Fearless Revolution" see http://erickajackson.com/ and http://thefearlessrevolution.com/. For a critique of exemplars of these "Fearless" forms see Fisher (2010), 22-25. 20. For example, Laffan, M. F., and Weiss, M. (2012). Facing fear: The history of an emotion in global perspective.Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press; Bourke, J. (2005). Fear: A cultural history. UK: Virago Press; Robin, C. (2004). Fear: The history of a political idea. New York: Oxford University Press; Stearns, P. N. (2006). American fear: The causes and consequences of high anxiety. New York: Routledge. 21. Fisher, R. M. (2007). History of the Fearlessness Movement: An introduction. Technical Paper No. 22. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. Available @ http://csiie.org/mod/page/view.php?id=3 22. Mahatma Gandi wrote, "Fearlessness is the first requisite of spirituality. Cowards can never be moral! Every reader of the Gita is aware that fearlessness heads the list of the Divine attributes enumerated in the 16th Chapter.... Fearlessness is a sin qua non for the growth of the other noble qualities [virtues]. How can one seek truth or cherish Love without fearlessness?" Available @ http://www.mkgandhi.org/momgandhi/chap12.htm 23. According to integral philosopher and Zen Buddhist, Ken Wilber, the teachings of Buddhist education, in the words of Jeremy Hayward, involve: "Recognizing the fear as well as the fearlessness in others, helping others to recognize the fear and to discover fearlessness, this is compassion." Hayward cited in Wilber, K. (1993).Grace and grit: Spirituality and healing in the life and death of Treya Killam Wilber. Boston, MA: Shambhala, 382. 24. Fisher, R. M. (2010). The world's fearlessness teachings: A critical integral approach to fear management/education for the 21st century. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. 25. Fisher, R. M. (2006). An integral fearlessness paradigm. Technical Paper No. 9. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. Available @ http://csiie.org/mod/page/view.php?id=3 26. Fisher (2010), xv, 65-66. 27. Cited in Rao, K. L. Seshagri (1978). Mahatma Gandhi and comparative religion. India: Motilal Banarsidass, 69. 28. Cited in Ferguson, M. (2005). Aquarius now: Radical common sense and reclaiming our personal sovereignty. Boston, MA: Weiser Books, 154. 29. Fisher, R. M. (1997). Defining the 'enemy' of fearlessness. Technical Paper No. 6. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. Available @ http://csiie.org/mod/page/view.php?id=3 30. See Fisher, R. M. (2012). Fearnalaysis: A first guide book. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. Available @ http://csiie.org/mod/page/view.php?id=3 31. See Fisher (2010) for background theory and the analogy of fearuality (his own term) with sexuality.

https://www.democracynow.org/live/watch_inauguration_2017_womens_march_live

The 5 hr broadcast of the Women's March, Jan. 21, 2017 is well worth watching for anyone in this world. If you care about a (r)evolution on this planet from the status quo ways of operating that don't work for health and sustainable development for all, then this Women's March is everything for health and against pathology--at all levels of our society. I found watching this video (from Democracy Now news channel) absolutely enlivening at the soul level because Women are once again taking lead like I have not seen since the 1970s. Is it all about women only? No, clearly as I marched myself in little Carbondale, IL and as I know many who did march here, and as i watch and listen to the many diverse speakers in Washington at this event, it is women-led alright, but that is a very diverse group of people following women's lead. It includes men and others who identify most closely with other identities than merely binary women or men. Virtually every kind of marginalized identity has voice and is embraced in these movements. Although, there will always be some who say they felt excluded from this Women's March, a Diversity March, and what I am calling the FREEDOM FROM FEAR March of the people, radical, moderates and who knows there may even have been some conservative-types amongst the crowds of millions around the world.

From the perspective of the Fearlessness Movement, of which I have documented its history in the first posting on this ning, and on Wikipedia, there is no doubt in my mind, if you listen to this five hr. video live from Washington, DC, the theme is "We are not afraid!" (with many variations from, "I am not afraid! to "Don't be afraid!" to "We are not afraid of you President Trump! and "We will not be intimidated" and so on). If you know Matrix Reloaded (2nd movie, 2003, in The Matrix trilogy by The Wachowski Brothers) there is the most amazing scene in a huge cave beneath the earth where all the remaining few, and very diverse, humans live because "Machine World" is threatening its entire existence. And when under attack, Morpheus (an African-American man) leads a speech to arouse the people who are afraid. He repeats, "We are not afraid!" shouting to the top of his lungs. That is pretty much the same situation I saw in the video of the Women's March on Washington, and yet, with the females leading, as it is their turn and their time to do. Many slogans make up this coalition of the marginalized and diverse citizens of America and many countries around the world. The collective coalition is what is giving it the power that all the separate identity movements (politics) from class struggle, to sex and gender struggle, to race struggles, to you name it... they are coming together and are yes... women led. No doubt about it.

It has taken women to lead this coalition and organize in the way true revolution to be successful must be led. When I say "Woman" or "Women" I can just as well place underneath that umbrella "Feminist"--for sure. That is all there in this movement and the Feminist Movement has led much of these movements of diversity in terms of laying down the tracks of how to revolt against the oppressive intersectionality of Domination and Patriarchy. Women and girls get a lot of attention in this movement, but they are not the only ones who do. There will always be others, like men's rights activists, for example, who will feel they are not included the way they want to be--meaning, they will not feel they are "equal" to what rights are being struggled for. And, clearly, men are mentioned continually in this Women's Movement. I would say 30% of the people in these marches, at least here in Carbondale, were men, and that was because men came to support the women and girls, came to invest in the issues of intersectionality of struggle against Domination and Patriarchy and their negative impacts on everyone. But if men want to lead over women, forget it. I would say, women in this march everywhere have had enough of the way men lead. I am all for it as a radical feminist myself. If men want to be allies, and they can still speak up for their struggles, you bet--join this coalition women-led. You are invited.

Over and over, I kept saying in my mind that Culture Wars is only heating up, and it is invading politics and that's not going away. Any government today, who thinks they can rule a nation, especially like the USA, and not be sensitive to both sides of Culture Wars will not last long, likely be impeached, assassinated, or completely made inept because of the chaos of rebellions that will continue to plug the streets, the economies, the communications channels, and there will be "wars" --the coalition being formed and women led as I see it will be a non-violent one--it is made up of such diverse kinds of people and it will grow and include more and more. Of course, there will always be extreme radicals in and among them. Of course, there will be mistakes these women leaders will make. There will be differences that are and seem irreconcilable between the multi-diversity within the movement itself. Over and over I heard women leaders say in this video that that is okay, differences is what they are all about. Yet, with Trump elected as symbolic of exactly the kind of male leader they find so disturbing (and disturbed himself)--they, are not going to lie down and wait to see where his xenophobic policies and rhetoric of hate go. They are not going to give up eliminating these kinds of leaders from office of their country. And, I never heard or saw one anti-American expression made during the entire event. No, because this is not extreme radicalism moving forward. I am touched.

I won't do a big critical analysis of the movement I'm calling FREEDOM FROM FEAR movement... as part of the Fearlessness Movement in history... I am just glad it is happening now. We are so ready, as one sign I saw often read in these crowds "Love Trumps Hate"-- which, another read "We are a Resistance to Fear"--- it is true that people in America anyways, have been way too fearful for too long under the growing effective suppression of the "culture of fear" phenomena. It took a huge wake up call to see they could no longer live that way. It is no freedom. Apathy and pessimism is not an option. Women, mothers, and others leading are no longer going to stay quiet especially when they see a fascist-like regime take power in their country. If I was into making signs and marching, which I am not, I would make signs reading "Let's Not Only Resist Fear, Let's Understand it!" If ever there was a time, now is it for a better fear education, a better critical theory of fear management/education and its application to this FREEDOM FROM FEAR movement. Because, if I have learned anything so critical from 27 years studying fear and fearlessness... it is that rhetoric is fine, and slogans and marches, but if you want a real (r)evolution that goes to the next level of emancipation and transformation of self and society, you have better dig-in deeper, and design better fear management/transformation. Saying, "We are not afraid!" is often rhetoric in the assertive and aggressive "fight" register for what is a deep fear/terror still well seated below the surface of "strength" and "shouting." Albeit, there is also a 'feminine' response to fear and that is to 'tend and befriend' which girls and women as care-givers generally are instinctively capable.

Trump supporters and Trump resistors are BOTH afraid. My work shows that we will not fully understand LOVE until we fully understand FEAR -- they are dialectically intertwined. Love does not simply conquer fear--and end of story. That's a nice belief. Reality is much more complex and so are love and fear, Love and Fear, and so is fearlessness as the path between them.

Admitting fearfulness is a good start for us 'bridging' our differences and polarities that may never be resolved. We can however, resolve to end the Rule of Fear's Empire. I don't expect any rally to be much different than a cheer-leading and inspirational and nurturing space--which is fine, but we now need "teach-ins" (consciousness raising) all over the world of what it means to not be afraid when the fact is we are afraid of what's happening and especially with Trump as a leader. Again, I am not going to go further into my critical analysis and recommendations in more details. Those will come with time, and especially if people ask me for more. Let's continue the dialogue.

Fear Management System (FMS)-4

 The following is my quickie fearanalysis of Anderson and Miller (2001). Their Christian approach (manual) to "freedom from fear" is interesting, though very familiar to me, as I have seen many examples just like it, all coming out of the religious form of FMS-4. To help guide you through this, I've provided an up-dated summary of how to recognize the features of FMS-4, then I give an example from their book and critique it. This is of course, all very brief and inadequate to make a full critique but it shows you how I think, for what it's worth. I look forward to any conversation we may enter around this.

[Nutshell version: basic Fear Management Systems Theory (a la Fisher)[1] is based on an integral worldview perspective of development whereby each system (e.g., FMS) developed under a set of conditions (including consciousness) and developed the best means possible at the time--establishing marvellous, viable and healthy practices of fear management; but over time, often under changing conditions, often due to collective accumulation of trauma and system errors, the intelligence and strengths of a particular FMS diminished—found lacking by many, and were, more or less, incapable to meet the new demands and growth; thus often it became partially and/or largely pathological (unhealthy), while simultaneously a new FMS was evolving to meet the demands of the new conditions for survival and thriving growth and development. Each FMS therefore, has a healthy side and an unhealthy side; it is our task today to learn to recognize and discern both sides, and make informed decisions to utilize the best of the intelligence of each FMS (between 0 – 9), and toss the worst, along the spectrum of possibilities, as we learn, individually and collectively, to better manage fear on this planet]

Mythic-Membership (Belonging and Conforming-Identity) – Blue v-meme – Communal – Ethnocentric and Sociocentric Consciousness

In-Group vs. Out-Group; Moralism = Right vs. Wrong; Patriarchal 

Emerged c. 12, 000 years ago, Beginning of Farming-Mode

Around 5000 years ago in the West began Dominator Culture

(and some forms of Monotheism)

Blue Fear Story (Cosmology) – Religious Form- as first, “the original” (e.g., Biblical) and powerful disturbing negative feeling/emotion (a “suffering” punishment, like pain) from the mythic “Fall” of some kind; therefore the human condition is flawed (impure) and less than “ideal” (i.e., less than “divine,” than “essence”) due to a rebellion/sin against some authority-figure (e.g., Law, God, Authority, Father, Nation/State), which is seemingly inherent in human nature due to egoic arrogance (hubris or pride); thus “fear of God” is the only salvation (freedom from fear and suffering) via a return to humbleness once again as the virtue to counteract the vice of arrogance (i.e., human character flaw); Secular Form- (see, e.g., Thomas Hobbes, 18^th century Europe)

 Fear Management/Education – Religious Form- although it recognizes “fear is natural” (or “normal”) because it seems useful for activating survival/defense capacities (e.g., courageousness), though the actual focus of attention is to ensure early childhood learned-conditioning of “social fear” (i.e., low-grade, barely recognizable, chronic social anxiety in confrontation with the persistent surveillance systems of the Divine/Authority/ State/Family and general Social Order as unquestioned beliefs and values called Tradition); one learns the safety/protection and self-esteem gained by the in-group (e.g., less fear being with a larger number of like-same-members) they belong to and identify with; yet, also fear and its cousins guilt and shame are learned as well and are associated with the dangers of punishment (ultimately via God) by forms of social abuse, sacrifices, isolation/alienation and exclusion (violence and terrorization) that will come rapidly if one transgresses the social-religious-sacred taboos (written or unwritten codes, rules and regulations and laws of Tradition); the latter punishment by fear-based means is offered by the Social Order enforcement fear-based systems under the name of this is because ‘we really love you,’ ‘tough love,’ and ‘this is for your own good’ (aka: meaning, it is done for the good of maintaining the Tradition of the in-group as priority value); defends Right and Wrong to the death using fear-tactics to suppress, oppress and/or eliminate; one must have “moral courage in battle” to fight (sacrifice the self) for the communal Right (i.e., our-side = right-side); one is encouraged into a paradoxical (contradictory) position: that is, to seek “freedom” from fear of one’s enemies, earthly existence, and of humans themselves—and, at the same time, as appropriate to the wishes of the Authority, never try to be free from fear of God (or the secular Ruler or Father of the House); Secular Form- (see e.g., Terror Management Theory a la Ernest Becker)

Example of Fear Education (pedagogy)- Religious Form- a contemporary Christian book entitled Freedom from Fear[2] opens with:

 "What are the differences between anxiety, fear, and panic attacks? In order to live a healthy productive [Christian] life, every child of God needs adequate answers to these critical questions. Let’s start by defining terms." (p. 17)

 First, in the above quote (Anderson & Miller, 2001), there is a decidedly modern (FMS-5)[3] aspect to this gaining a kind of modern day scientific (i.e., clinical psychology) knowledge (as an individual) about fear in order to manage it better—doings so by using definitions and distinctions that secular philosophy discovered first, then secular psychology (‘science’) discovered regarding the distinctions of anxiety, fear and panic. The authors however then retreat from FMS-5 discourse, to FMS-4 in the second sentence, and one can hear the complete Authoritative (conservative) tone it carries in that the human “needs adequate answers” (pre-determined and given as prescriptions by the authors, and the Bible, by Christian religion = Authorities of a Tradition). FMS-4 is characterized by this social conformity to knowledge passed down by legitimate (social-religious) Authorities (God being the ultimate carrier of the Truth). Implied in the second sentence in using “adequate” is “correct” (i.e., Biblically correct, meaning, the right answers because only we are after God’s truth, the one and only Truth, one and only God).

FMS-4 does not typically encourage individuals to think very critically about the knowledge (i.e., ‘Truth’) passed down from Tradition. The authors, as legitimate Christians, are obliged to provide the “adequate answers” and learners are to receive them in good faith, without doubt, without learned critique, but take them and let their heart make the best of them rather than heads. Thus, FMS-4 characteristically focuses on how we flawed, suffering, fearful, and ‘sinful’ humans need answers that are already available, rather than suggesting we humans need adequate questions to pursue our inquiry into the topic of freedom from fear and how best ought we define fear, etc. No, the Program (curricula) is already pre-packaged in FMS-4. After very little time (or theory) about defining fear and making distinctions, FMS-4 focuses on practices (i.e., prescriptions, rules) to follow—and, there are usually always 12-step programs, or in this book, a 7-step program (‘Steps to Freedom in Christ’)  to “freedom from fear”; and behind it all, is to give over all your fear(s) to the “higher authority” (e.g., in Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step program)—in this book, so you no longer have to worry about fear(s) and do so by several prescriptions and ultimately by praying: “We call upon Jesus, the ultimate authority, and He escorts [fear] the enemy of our souls out of our lives” (p. 339).[4]

[Reminder: FMS theory argues, as well there is empirical evidence, that each FMS, including this FMS-4, actually work quite well—but, not on everyone, nor in every environment or circumstance; the big (pathological) problem comes, when FMS-4 or any other one kind of FMS (becomes arrogant and intolerant of difference, as a system) trying to dominate all other forms of fear management/education and even denying they exist because there is no other Right way to understand fear and how to best manage it; Integral worldview (v-meme Yellow) and FMS-7 (Fearlessness) is the first evolved level of consciousness that begins to see this error of arrogant and intolerant FMSs because it sees the entire spectrum of 0-9 possibilities of how to best understand and manage fear; FMS-7, which I operate from and critique from, is also not merely about relativism as integralism is often confused with by people who have not studied integral theory; FMS-7 and integral thinking are critical of only relativism or pluralism and argues we need discernment of "better" in both horizontal and vertical means--that, unfortunately, is more complex than what I can explain here]

With all the different emotional reactions on either side of the political spectrum, especially in the U.S., since Trump's presidential victory, we need to find larger perspectives for analysis and not merely be caught up in the either/or binary of arguments and aggressive fighting back n' forth.

So, the other day, thanks to Dan McKinnon in Calgary, I received a copy of a draft that Ken Wilber, the integral philosopher, has been sending out to some people on his application of Integral theory (and Spiral Dynamics beneath it), of why there is an evolutionary correction going on that had to come out eventually, and it came out in the 2016 US presidential elections. Like it or not.

Wilber, is one of my mentors, and as a philosopher he understands cultural evolution, especially in America, like no one else I know of, especially with his meta-theory and contextual worldcentric and kosmocentric view. His arguments I find very compelling, and always have in his critique of postmodern excess and pathologies (e.g., narcissism and nihilism via relativism). Anyways, I won't say more but I'll post his 90 page document here KEN%2BWILBER%2BTrump%2Band%2Ba%2BPost-Truth%2BWorld.docx

I only got to page 6, I haven't read the rest. And on page 6 I found the "truth" I was expecting would be in his argument, but I love the way he said it. This may not make full sense to the rest here on the FM ning, but I'll put it into the perspective of fear, and the culture of fear which I study.

Basically, Wilber is saying that cultural evolution had gone forward on a leading edge for quite awhile, at least in human terms, since the 1960's especially (in the Western world). This was the time of radical cultural (r)evolution, and the Love Generation. I grew up in that too. We thought Love would take victory over Fear basically and make the world a better place.

Wilber, using Integral theory, tells how the leading-edge of cultural evolution (i.e., postmodernism) got twisted and extreme (especially in academia in the humanities and arts) but also in the general popular culture. The idea was in this Love culture of equality and pluralism (Lower Left quadrant reality) and all the good stuff of postmodernism there was an problem with what I call Culturalism, in that cultural ideas (media) had taken over casting a better view of life than was actually being had. This is the virtual (unreality) of Culturalism and people believed it until the structural social reality (Lower Right quadrant reality) was so grossly out of synch with the Culturalism view, because greater disparity of health, income, and freedom, etc. was occurring as the "middle class" myth collapsed (especially, in the US). This gulf or gap between Cultural and Social Reality, to use Wilber's analysis, really brought the whole System into such contradictions that something big had to change.

Wilber says on page 6 "the culture was lying" (and had been for about 60 years, more or less). This, from my perspective, is because we were living in a growing culture of fear (as many critics have recently claimed) not a culture of love. Darn! This has brought the evolutionary system into a bit of regression and chaos, and who knows what else... but Trump rode the falsity of it all, the anger and frustration of the contradiction. And, he led with contributing and flying along the waves of the culture of fear not the culture of love--and, his predecessor Pres. Richard Nixon, once said exactly that-- it is not love that changes people but fear, that is, if you are a leader and want your way to dominate. Welcome to the power-game. Trump is riding in there well suited, more than any other candidate to play that game. But what will the next (r)evolutionary correction be after Trump's time in office? We'll see...

Over a year and half ago I sent a copy of these notes on working philosophical premises to Desh Subba, although he has not responded, I think they are still worth more inquiry, whomever is interested. I'm sure if I thought more about these today, I'd add more new ones, but this is lots for starters. As a serious scholar and proponent of the philosophy of fearism since late 2014, I wish to see more philosophy and less rhetoric, opinions, and such... as this philosophy is going to need a good deal of rigorous thought before it will be accepted seriously by an real philosophers or graduate courses today in higher education, and in the future. The aim I have is to make philosophy of fearism justifiable through testing it empirically, as well as arguing it rationally. The high gold standard in this I have witnessed over the years in watching Ernest Becker's existential philosophy be eventually translated into social psychology (i.e., terror management theory) and 'proven' that his philosophy has some valid truths that are very important to our world today.

PHILOSOPHY OF FEARISM: 9 Premises (version 1.0)

R. Michael Fisher, Aug. 18, 2015

[Note: none of these premises are fixed in stone; I chose them to build common ground in each of our diverse understandings of fearism and its philosophy; they are presented here only as working ideas to be changed and grown as we gain input from various sources/research, experience and good critiques.]

A philosophy of fearism has the basic agenda of raising conscious awareness of the nature and role of fear in our lives and helping us to understand it better, in order to improve the quality (happiness) in our lives along a path to potential “fearless” existence. To do so, claims are made, often with premises that are not yet fully examined—this is the underlying purpose of this philosophical exercise. Volumes could be written on any one or a few of the premises, and sub-sections, as well as the interconnectivity of all of them together. Other premises and sub-sections also exist and can be added, but this is at least a start of examining a core of them more closely.

Premise 1 – Fear actually is the predominant motivator of the foundational aspects of human existence/behavior.

              1a. Should we not therefore build a philosophy (e.g., fearism[1]) around the predominant (if not, the greatest) motivator?

                         1a (i). What if Love is the predominant motivator? How do we know?

                                    What implications do the Love vs. Fear dynamics portend?

              1b. Humans are always, more or less, for better or worse, managing fear(s)

              1c. If 1, 1a, 1b are true, then, what kind of fear management/education (and socialization and governance) is best suited to these truths?

Premise 2—Humanity, in general, is experiencing a precipice of extreme fear at this time in history, of which it is thought to be a most serious crisis that cannot be put off analysis without grave danger to our species and the planet’s ecosystems.

              2a. What reliable and diverse (cross-disciplinary) sources can we accrue in order to reasonably invoke the crisis of the current Fear Problem, without panic?

Premise 3—The current state of knowledge about fear is inadequate to the demands of the Fear Problem, and this has caused a great deal of unnecessary suffering

             3a.  Philosophy of fearism is the best way to remedy this crisis and better than alternative philosophies, myths, religions and other ways of trying to manage

                    the Fear Problem—in that sense, how can we justify a “dephilosophy” agenda within the current philosophy of fearism critique?

              3b.  Contradictions in our society’s general knowledge of fear need to be revealed and arguments (based on the philosophy of fearism) made that

                    respond to them and “correct” them if possible  

              3c. Where is the philosophy of fearism most weak, philosophically? and/or scientifically?

              3d. How can a philosophy of fearism self-reflexively “correct” itself in order to avoid becoming an ideology (embedded in ideologism)?

Premise 4—A philosophy of fearism is unique (and important) because it recognizes the Fear Problem not merely as an individual psychological problem, but as

 central to evolution itself and developmental conceptualizations of human nature, the human condition and human potential.

            4a. As with some other perspectives, a philosophy of fearism accepts there is no one and only right definition or meaning of fear, but it is multiple and will

                 likely always be such.

             4b. What is a substantive ontology of fear that is useful to, and consistent with the defining and making meaning of fear within a philosophy of fearism agenda?

             4c. What is a rigorous epistemology of fear consistent with the philosophy of fearism agenda?

             4d. What is a rigorous axiology of fear consistent with the philosophy of fearism agenda?

                         4d(i).  How do we know whether fear is positive or negative in value?

             4e. the dialectical nature of fear and fearlessness ought to be understood within the evolution of the global concept of a “spirit of fearlessness” and the world’s

                  Fearlessness Movement(s)[2]

 Premise 5—The critical determining unit (expression) of “fear-based” brings forth the ethical axis upon which the philosophy of fearism rests in terms of usefulness

for discernment of quality, if not liberation.

               5a. Is there a way to accurately discern and evaluate “fear-based” feeling, thinking, acting? If so, how? What practical applications as well?

Premise 6—Fear evolves (develops) “naturally” towards Fearless (i.e., a telos), at the level of individuals, groups, and entire eras of history

             6a. We are currently (globally) in a peak of an “Extreme Fear Age”

             6b. Is a philosophy of fearism a ‘natural’ response to the Extreme Fear Age?

             6c. Is there a precedent for what we are going through in history, that may be useful to us as a global community?

                       6d. Is the East or West more matured (evolved) generally, to best assist us through this "Extreme Fear Age" (a la Subba)? Why?

             6e. Are the less developed nations less fear-full than the developed nations? And Why? And, what implications does this have for world developmental theories                  and practices?

Premise 7: The evolution of consciousness, like fear, is moving toward a "Fearless Age" and Society (a la Subba)—not that it will occur all at the same time in the same  

places but it is at least probably, expectable, but not totally inevitable.

            7a. On what substantive, and diverse grounds, can such a positive claim of telos be defended by a philosophy of fearism?

            7b. And on those same grounds, what arguments can be utilized to counteract the predominant discourses that suggest no such movement or telos exists?

Premise 8: The greatest fear is humanly created, in the mind, and thus, the greatest corrective to fear is humanly created, in the mind.

            8a. On what substantive, and diverse grounds, can such a claim be made?

            8b. And on those same grounds, what alternative arguments could also be put forward that are different but complementary to a philosophy of fearism?

            8c. What alternative arguments would go against (and/or modify) Premise 8?

Premise 9: The philosophy of fearism (as currently articulated) is adequate to being called a legitimate, new, and essential philosophy to the betterment of

humankind and the earth ecosystems.

             9a. What arguments are for this and what arguments are against accepting this

Desh, I see you are expressing views on various topics, like the last one on feminism (which is a very big and complicated area of research, philosophy, and theory). I am curious what you mean in some of your statements, and I am somewhat confused by "whore is real feminist." Perhaps, you could explain, because such a statement, in the West, at least, would be highly offensive itself to feminists (of which, I am one). Yet, I think I get what you are somewhat pointing out, in your view; and, I am sensing you want to critique certain feminists who only write about rape, but ignore the fear problem (?)

I personally, prefer more philosophy re: how fearism adds anything new to the feminist conversation and movement. It has long been known that fear is a powerful motivator for all kinds of people (not merely feminists) for them to not speak out when abused by others, e.g., go to the police, etc. That is well researched and well acknowledged that "fear" is at the core of the problem. So, I don't see what fearism is adding at all new to this knowledge, at least, in the West. Perhaps you can clarify. I like to see more application of fearism principles in your points.

Thanks.

I’m going to assemble for the moment several disparate threads, connecting and weaving them as a pattern, that are catching my attention very recently. The whole point is to share with you, and invite you more importantly, into a dialogue and future actions—which, are already arising quickly—in order to place fearism on the wave of a historical political moment we ought not ignore. It is both tragic as to what oppression is going on, especially in the global migration/displacement crisis, and exciting to make these connections from a fearist perspective in the sense of that from a view enlightened by the philosophy of fearism (Subba and Fisher). 

There are some radical movements happening in the world, many are called crises, many are just big problems, and some are called wicked problems. I have included many of these in my work and blogs over the past few years, but mostly in 2016 on the FM ning.

I have posted Photos on Anthropocene Fear, and an initial rough sketch of my vision for the Global Fearanalysis Institute, a conceptualization that emerged as a future focus in the summer of 2015. From current research I’m doing on uses of “fearism” as a term in the global migration studies scholarly literature, it is evident that in the summer of 2015, especially in Europe (with fast spread into North America), the news media and governments in the West were nearly all hyper-reactive in labeling a global “refugee crisis” (over 3000 refugees died or went missing trying to reach Europe in 2015 alone). Which was and is still is a crisis of fearism-t (fearism-toxic version) and its productions of a rancid xenophobia (fear of stranger; fear of the Other).

I have come to believe (or hypothesize) this postmodern global (Western) xenophobia was exactly the inadvertent but pivotal cause behind Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election victory in the USA. Now we have Trumpism ruling in a post-9/11 post-traumatic culture. Call it what you will, media, migrations, and borders of “in and out” driven by an imaginary, ideology and force of fear(ism) in its toxic version are part of the emboldened securitization and fortress mentality of Europe/America/Israel/UK and a whole lot of other countries—even some in Canada.

Then for the first time, a small but symbolic historical moment was made when the Nepali writer Desh Subba, founder of philosophy of fearism, and myself were invited to talk together at the Global Bhutanese Literary Organization “Grand International Creative Ceremony III” in Texas. It so happens that a vast majority of the artists and people attending are "refugees" to the USA from Bhutan and/or Nepal. I have written about this on a recent blog here on the FM ning as well. The term “global” keeps arising. All of the above, plus my last two working research contracts on Indigenous heart health and health policy discourses around the world, lead to an inevitable internationalist perspective in my own thinking and values, including my recent attendance at the speech of the out-going General Secretary of the UN, Ban Ki-moon in Carbondale, IL and his call for us becoming “global citizens.”

The newest research literature study I’ve undertaken on “fearism” uses in the academic world in Migration, Ethnic, Citizenship, and Deportation Studies (MECDS) is amazing to me. There is no other academic area/discipline/domain of studies anywhere that is consistently using “fearism” as a concept and tool of analysis for what is happening regarding what is overly-popularized (and over-simplified) as “refugee crisis.” And, I will say more, as a teaser, about what I am finding. If you want to quickly see for yourself, just go to Google Scholar, and then search “fearism” and see what you find—at least 10+ articles and/or book chapters in MECDS alone, and there are other uses outside that domain too. That’s just a beginning.

My task in taking on this latest research with intent to publish a journal article in this field for the first time [1], is to systematically study how “fearism” is being used, its history of use in MECDS and what are the discourse biases that exist—for example, how these authors are not using “fearism” the way I and/or Desh are. This whole area caught my attention a year or more ago when I found out that the group of researchers that were all using fearism were doing so based on my defining the term in Fisher (2006). Now, that’s why it caught my attention. But what I am finding is that since 2009 when it all got kick-started in academia (MECDS), no one is using a nuanced or even accurate definition as the source definition I gave in my article in 2006 [2], and have further developed since.

 Note, the basis of this new research, and what I see as a great opportunity to engage with scholars around the world in MECDS, is that my own theory of fearism-t, unique from Subba’s [3], is the ‘bridge’ that these folks are interested in. So, I say, let’s start with that and see how we can help the cause, reduce the suffering and influence political policies involving this entire global migration crises that will only increase as climate change and wars increase, as food shortages and poverty increase. The time has come to launch this global fearism-t analysis and fearanalysis in general. So, stay tuned.

End Notes

 1. The current working title for my article is “Fearism, Fortress Mentality and the Dialectic of Fearlessness in Global Migration Biopolitics of Fear.” I am going to likely submit it to Journal of Ethnic & Migration Studies in the next while.

2. Fisher, R. M. (2006). Invoking 'Fear' Studies. Journal of Curriculum Theorizing, 22(4), 39-71.

3. In Chapter Four: Towards a Theory of Fearism (in Fisher & Subba, 2016), I wrote an updated version of Technical Paper #51 of the same title. I end that chapter four with the following which will explain the distinctions that need to be made when one is sorting out the similarities and differences in how Subba and I come to express a philosophy of fearism. I wrote, “Subba (2014) has by far developed ‘fearism’ in his own unique way, more from a Far Eastern perspective (Nepali), with its own style. His central framing is philosophical, with strong psychological aspects and some spiritual aspects. He has less depth of analysis in sociopolitical, cultural aspects that I would prefer added to his conception. Again, a philosophy of fearism is what it is, and can be a basis for a theory (or more specific theories) of fearism [e.g., my own fearism-t as I now label as my own “theory of fearism”]” (p. 123). See Fisher, R. M., & Subba, D. (2016). Philosophy of fearism: A first East-West dialogue. Australia: Xlibris.

Earlier I wrote about my "health turn" as I call it (see under FORUM) for my 65-80 year elder period of life. I mentioned I would begin drafting a health and development policy to sort out the connections I've been thinking about, and even may write some kind of manifesto. So, attached here is the link to the "Preamble"  DEVEL%20HEALTH%20FEARISM%20manifesto.docx (3 pp. Draft Only) for such a manifesto. -enjoy,

Not too long back I posted a Photo of The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community book cover, by David C. Korten (2005). I am re-reading this again, after many years having left it and not followed through with patience and depth of investigation that this book is well worth.

I won't write a lot about the ideas in this book here, other than to give a few highlights of why I think it is one of the most important books for the 21st century, as a guide for both the critical diagnosis of the "truth" we as a species have to face (sooner the better) and as a prescription for a way out of the mess we have got ourselves into on this planet. Sure, there are lots of these kinds of books, and I've been reading them since in my early 20s. Korten's is unique amongst the Eco-type and Community-type books. And, it is unique because it includes (in an important but still inadequate way) two of my fav. theories of liberation:

(a) he gives due credit to the Love vs. Fear worldview problem and how we have to make a choice to get beyond the fear-based worldview or what he describes so well as "Empire Culture" (a cultural consciousness that is based on domination, violence and the fear cycle) and move toward the "Earth Community" (a cultural consciousness based on partnership, nonviolence, and a trust cycle of care and love)

(b) he relates this Love vs. Fear worldview problem to the work of developmental theory (using Robert Kegan's analysis primarily) whereby he positions the Empire Consciousness as 2nd Order Consciousness, along a spectrum of five potential Orders of Consciousness (at least) that human can access (this is very similar to Ken Wilber's integral philosophy and theory of which I have studied, and, it is also the very spectrum of what I label as fear management systems)

That's the 'taster' for you if you want a good read, and/or if you have read Korten's work, then we could have a good discussion. I highly recommend this work, at least this 2005 book which I believe is profound because I know of no other activist writer of the Eco and Community type who is using these two theoretical frames above, and my guess is those who read an even like Korten's work do not understand or pick-up on it. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I'm not. These two theories will, if we choose to pay attention to them and bring them into practice, really can transform the planet, and, it will do it in small developmental steps, for the most part. As Korten and I and Wilber know, you don't get to the higher levels of consciousness just because you choose to identify with them (which the map of the 5 Orders of Consciousness does help). It's a long tough soul's journey out of the 'Fear' Matrix (i.e., Empire Consciousness).

Oh, the other thing that so impressed me as the end of the book was his citing Vandana Shiva, a great wise woman scholar from India, environmental activist and leader of the community-based movements to "save natural seeds" and not let corporations control the seeds of the world. He cites Shiva saying that "When I'm feeling discouraged by the seeming inadequacy of my efforts, I find comfort in the wisdom of Vandana Shiva, whom I mentioned earlier as a partner in the initial framing of this book." (p. 357). Wow! That is so impressive to me that he got guidance for the book from her. That's a bonus. White old men, like Korten, rarely listen that carefully to the guidance of women never mind a woman from color from India. And, then, to end the book he quotes Shiva in a great passage that I read to my friends Greg and Kate last night just before New Years arrived. Korten is founder and editor of Yes!: Positive Futures magazine and an important leader himself, but here he is citing Shiva (from an interview in that magazine back in 2003). Shiva remarks on her fearlessness practice as so important in doing activist and liberation work around the world for some 50 years or so... I share it with you for the New Year and to inspire 2017 to start in a 'good' way, a 'good' spirit for all:

Vandana Shiva: "Well, it's always a mystery, because you don't know why you [sometimes] get depleted or recharged. But, this much I know. I do not allow myself to be overcome by hopelessness, no matter how tough the situation. I believe that if you just do your little bit without thinking of the bigness of what you stand against, if you turn to the enlargement of your own capacities, just that in itself creates new potential. And I've learned from the Bhagavad Gita [in Hinduism] and other teachings of our [Indian] culture to detach myself from the results of what I do, because those are not in my hands. The context is not in your control, but your commitment is yours to make, and you can make the deepest commitment with a total detachment about where it will take you. You want it to lead to a better world, and you shape your actions and take full responsibility for them, but then you have detachment. And that combination of deep passion and deep attachment allows me always to take on the next challenge because I don't cripple myself, I don't tie myself in knots. I function like a free being [not one in the 'Fear' Matrix]. I think getting that freedom [from fear] is a social duty because I think we owe it to each other not to burden each other with prescription and demands. I think what we owe each other is a celebration of life and to replace fear and hopelessness with [the gift of] fearlessness and joy." [1]

End Note

Shiva, V. (interviewed by van Gelder, S.) (2003). Earth Democracy. Yes!: A Journal of Positive Futures, Winter. Retrieved from http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=570

I had the privilege yesterday to attend (with an overflowing crowd of 1500 others) the last public speech by the very popular and powerful humanitarian UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, at S. Illinois University. I came to tears several times listening to his words and aware of the immense energy of attentiveness of the audience. This blog is not to summarize that speech, nor try to capture the amazing work and commitment of this great person of the 21st century, now having served his 10 year term at the UN in the top position of authority.

Ban Ki-moon

I wish to focus on one of the most powerful things I believe Ban Ki-moon said to us all. He has been saying it for a long time, and it is part of the UN unofficial mission. Paraphrasing Ban Ki-moon: Especially in regard to young people, now 50% of the world's population is under 25 years of age, it is time to put away nationality and nationalism as the highest value, and time to turn toward becoming a global citizen. We require a new sense of unity that we are all living on the planet earth as 'one' --as global citizens together. If we do not make this turn of identity and value toward such a global unity, we are sorely heading for the worst 'hell' on earth in human history. Climate change (global warming) must be solved together, with no boundaries.

I totally agree and salute this wisdom of Ban Ki-moon. Of course, it is not only his wisdom that has thought of this idea, but many many great thinkers and visionaries throughout history has more or less called us to such a task as well. I sat there and wrote notes, and asked myself: "Yes, to be a global citizen is a first shift of identity that is a great leap for many who cling to narrow-mindedness and nationalism identities. There is too many wars happening because of this nationalism at its worst levels, especially when it is fear-based, security-based, and will attack any 'Other' because it feels threatened."

It is an odd paradox I found in Ki-moon's speech, and in the UN mission, because there is both the UN position of keeping nations sovereign and not invaded by dominator nations. And, at the same time, he is asking us to abandon the boundaries and become 'one.' Of course, the latter, is a high ethical calling and one that just doesn't happen in reality because one calls themselves a global citizen, a global organization, or a global nation with all good intentions. More than good intentions is required. And then we have the problem that there will seemingly always be one or more such individuals, groups, organizations or nations that will resist this call for global unity to solve the world's problems and they fight against any such unity. Then what?

Yet, this is not what I wish to focus on in this blog. Conflict is definitely destroying this planet, and no one is as informed as Ban Ki-moon on global conflicts and horrors going on today, and ever since he took office in 2007 at the UN. He said, "I have served during a decade of turmoil.... conflicts are growing more protracted" globally and putting the whole world into great danger, with massive immigration of refugees and starvation, disease, crop failures as only mentionable among so many other global crises we could name. He concluded, "big fires are still burning."

Now, to my point, re: conflicts ("big fires")... and letting go of nationalism, ethnocentricism, group chauvinism, racism, regionalism, religionism and ideologism behind them, to become unified as global citizens. What Ban Ki-moon did not talk about, and I would have liked to seen talked about, is how to foster the essential shift to a new awareness or consciousness required today to solve the worst global crises. It is a shift to a "world perspective" by any other name. Today, I am reading again, a favorite short essay (Epilogue: What World Perspectives Means" by Ruth Nanda Anshen, c. 1963). This essay shows up in some 30 volumes that were written and published in the early 1960s under the name World Perspectives Series, planned and edited (with others) by Ruth Nanda Anshen. This Epilogue she wrote I have seen every time I buy a copy from that series, and today it happens to be a book by Erich Fromm on Sigmund Freud (1963). Anshen writes of the series purpose, as it sought to bring together the most powerful critical minds of philosophers, scientists, and spiritual thinkers of the time (East and West):

" This volume is part of a plan to present short books in a variety of fields by the most responsible of contemporary thinkers. The purpose is to reveal basic new trends in modern civilization, to interpret the creative forces at work in the East as well as in the West, and to point to the new [holistic] consciousness which can contribute to a deeper understainding of the interrelation of [hu]man and the universe, the individual and society, and of the values shared by all people.... This [time] is the crisis in consciousness.... This is the new awakening.... Knowledge, it is shown in these volumes, no longer consists in a manipulation of [hu]man and nature as opposing forces, nor in the reduction of data to statistical order, but is a means of liberating mankind from the destructive power of fear.... it is the thesis of this Series that [hu]man is in the process of developing a new awareness which, in spite of his [her] apparent spiritual and moral captivity, can eventually lift the human race above and beyond the fear, ignorance, and brutality and isolation which beset it today. It is to this nascent consciousness, to this concept of [hu]man born out of a fresh [holistic] vision of reality, that World Perspectives is dedicated." (pp. 126-9) [bold added for emphasis]

I have taken only a small slice of this essay, and pulled out the important points Anshen makes about knowledge and fear, and the purpose of research, thinking, education in the world. I am astounded how she describes the world in the early 1960s and its imperilment of crises pending, as one feels like this is written for the 21st century. Let me close this blog for you to reflect on, and what it means to take on a "world perspective" as Anshen articulates so well. Yet, even she does not go far enough, as I see it. We have to move as a world, differentiated and developmentally distinctly, into a certain small percentage of people chosing to become global citizens, and adopting somewhat a world perspective on life and reality and their values and actions.

Emerging into Worldcentric Consciousness and Research on the Spirit of Fearlessness

Clearly, as I see it anyways, Anshen and Ki-moon are talking about a shift in consciousness from a fear-based cosmology/worldview to one of fearlessness-based or some call love-based.

Holistic unity is great, but for humans, and cultures, this evolves and develops, it is not something just decided upon and then works at the level of world perspective consciousness, or what Ken Wilber calls worldcentric consciousness, and then beyond that to the even more advanced stage of kosmocentric consciousness. I will not detail this spectrum evolutionary theory of Wilber's (called "Integral theory")... but to suggest it is better (more advanced) than holistic theories of unification and has to be looked at seriously. I have argued, elsewhere in my work, that the creative spirit is many things, even mysterious, yet, there is tremendous knowledge to be yet synthesized on how the spirit of fearlessness is core to the Defense Intelligence system of all organisms, at all levels (see my book The World's Fearlessness Teachings, 2010). The Fearlessness Movement ning is a dedication to thinking, ideas, people who are interested and moving toward a worldcentric consciousness that interprets the creative spirit of the universe really... as a spirit of fearlessness (at least, in terms of organism systems). This will give the structure and processes some reality when one utters terms like "global citizen" and/or "world perspective." We have a lot of work to do.

For another perspective on this talk see my partner Barbara Bickel's blog post

Pauli Murray (left), an African-American woman, and Eleanor Roosevelt (First Lady) during the 1930s-50s, had a long letter writing friendship. Barbara just finished reading this book and gave me a good quote on Pauli talking about fear (as a social determinant of her health). See the Forum post I just put up with this discussion re: my becoming a health critic and wanting to reform health policy by including a serious analysis of fear(ism).

Before the quote (see below), one ought to know a few things of important historical background. Pauli Murray struggled under combining forces of oppression, she was poor, black, a lesbian, and extremely smart and spoke her mind. All of which, one could say she was courageous for sure, and yet, she paid an enormous price because of the chronic condition of intersectional oppressions (i.e., inequity due to social determinants of health that were not of her choosing; she was born into them). Eleanor Roosevelt is important in the battle against fear and health and justice inequities in the USA (as was her husband F. D. Roosevelt, famous for his speech on "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."). Eleanor, assisted FDR with developing the "four freedoms" early in the 1940s, and Eleanor was eventually a delegate to the UN and began to work on this and make it a Universal Declaration of Human Rights (of which "freedom from fear" is one of the most important of those four freedoms). See the UN Declaration of Universal Human Rights.

Now, to the quote from Firebrand and the First Lady: Portrait of a Friendship: Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Struggle for Social Justice – Patricia Bell Scott (NY: Alfred Knopf, 2016):

 p. 221-22 – Murray: “I cannot live with fear, and [yet]  the doctor has just told me I have a nervous heart.”  Murray: “I call it a frightened heart.”  “It has been frightened all of my life because of race. Now it is frightened because of something deeper than race—the atmosphere which threatens one’s integrity—an atmosphere of fear.” [she is referring to the McCarthy Era "Red Scare" campaign of which she was accused of participating in, wrongly--she shared this with ER, admitting she herself was having to seek a doctor for this condition and her brother was lobotomized, and left with no initiative after that, Murray herself had been in and out of mental psych wards off and on]

p. 221 – “For Murray, the McCarthy hearings were ‘like garbage thrown upon the shining surface of the Supreme Court decision.’ That the questions witnesses faced were often based on misinformation, outright inaccuracies and ‘derogatory material’ unnerved her. ‘As a serum against fear,’ Murray committed herself to writing one letter of personal faith each day to some friend or person.” [she also smoked a pack and half of cigs a day, exacerbated by her general ongoing anxiety]

[bold added for emphasis] [Note: Pauli Murray's strategy to manage her fear/anxiety is brilliant and very much reinforces the fear response continuum that feminists have come up with doing research, whereby there is not merely a fight or flight, or freeze response built-in, but a 'tend and befriend' response when fear is present, and this is the letter writing/reaching out strategy that Murray employs so well, including how effective she was in persuading Eleanor Roosevelt to speak out on African-American issues among other things in the struggle for social justice.]

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As a fearologist, I am always critically examining the discourses of (particularly white men) who like to talk about fear and how they are so courageous and so on, and they like to use their formulaic approaches and tell the rest of the world this is what you can do too to overcome fear, be brave, be heroic, be courageous, and even fearless.

Such simplistic discourses, based on the psychology of individual fear and its management, do not speak well or accurately to the larger context of the social determinants of health and the role of chronic fear (and constructed 'fear') amongst the marginalized--that is, those who are not white privileged males. This is why womanist and feminist perspectives are so important to take into account when we make any claims about the "truths" about fear and its management/education.