This image is from a youtube talk by Indigenous Ecologist Robin Kimmerer. A powerful and loving presentation to youth on how to become resilient to survive and thrive in climate change. She shares potentially very fear-inducing information but does it without instilling fear. Instead she is teaching how to deal with what is real. She encourages us to trace our roots, and draw from our ancestors and First Peoples in order to assist love and wisdom to flow more fluidly between settlers and Indigenous peoples, the past and the present, and hopefully, into the future, for all generations to draw from in cultivating sustainable skills and knowledge and ways of being that will best adapt to the changing earth. Joining and sharing the best of the wisdom traditions of both Western science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). The link is below to watch her teach in a non-fear-based way.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGEIT8B4VhQ

HOW AFRAID SHOULD WE BE?[1]: Case of Climate Change Today               - rmf May 18/2019

 The fear of eco-turbulence is the greatest one.

This eco-fear must be made positive fear to prevent the possible disaster.                                                                                                                                                            - Bhawani Shankar Adhikari[2]

             Preamble

 I too, like Adhikari and other fearists (of recent expressions), am seeing something powerful amidst the current zeitgeist on the planet in general, of something which could be called “eco-fear.” This is the fear related to eco-issues (i.e., environmental and global issues of great ecological consequence to quality of life (and Life itself) in the early part of the 21^st century).

I have written about this topic off and on, not the least of which was my series of technical papers on what Simon Estok calls “ecophobia” and its importance in literary criticism and beyond.[3] Many issues are thus being raised about the relationship between eco and fear that require more analysis and perhaps ‘better’ guidance than so far offered by anyone thinking about this. I’ll attempt to move forward this discussion and offer some direct guidance as consulting to eco-fear—and, I think I can do that best through a case study, albeit, it is more imagined for me personally at the moment than real. That is, climate change education (CCE) of which some in the literature refer to it as merely “climate education” but it is assumed they are speaking about “change” and big changes in climate—that is, global warming and the human-causation of that phenomena and the issues around how humans can mitigate the impacts of global warming crises upon us now and that are to become increasingly severe by most scientific predictions in the next decade or less—to the point, where mass extinctions of species and perhaps, more or less, our own species is immanent as is the product of great risk of toxification that will destroy life-sustainability on planet Earth.

I will not here, go into an analysis of the toxification problem, that is global warming as part of the CCE curriculum per se—if anything, I will focus on the issue of “fear toxification” as one particular angle in the discussion, whereby over the last several years I have made the direct analogy between CO₂ rising levels of threat to Fear rising levels of threat[4]—both, with their interdependent relationship and mutual causality (arguably). I’ll not pursue this relationship in this paper further than this mention. There are other concerns I am focusing on here and they can simply be wrapped-up in and around the question I ask myself in this context of toxification, How afraid should we be?—while, I realize that is not the only or even the ‘best’ question—it is one I think is rich with heuristic value to pursue.

My First Thoughts and Question(s)

If I (or any fearist) puts themselves into the situation of answering this question, several things arrive to be clarified, if not answered with a powerfully thought through rationale and direction:

(a). in concrete, if I am teaching and/or advising the teaching of say “climate education” today (as it is sometimes called” and, I am also answering to the critique “Climate Education is Screwed Up” as a recent video announces [5] – I am also having to answer philosophically and pedagogically how afraid should the students of such a climate education (CE) be at the first, in the middle and at the end of the class or course, or lecture? How does “fear” (i.e., fearfullness) enter into CE and specifically my way of ‘best’ teaching CE and/or advising others to teach CE?

(b) what theoretical and philosophical grounds (e.g., philosophy of fearism, and/or a General Fear Theory) can I draw upon to help analyze this questioning and calling as a fearist—and, how might I compare that guidance I seek be compared to some other guidance from other theoretical and philosophical grounds?—and, thus in that comparative analysis how I could make my ‘best’ recommendations to others in CE and/or follow the findings to my own curriculum and pedagogical design in the classroom?

(c) if I was to analyze the already prevailing general critique (since the mid-1990s) that is substantive amongst diverse critics of a growing “culture of fear” phenomena –a critique that at times takes the provocative label by some writers as “Are We Scaring Ourselves to Death?” [6]—there seems to be an important point of analysis required (fearanalysis) as to “why” and “how” this latter phenomenon is functioning already and this was showing itself (as a symptom) in a historical time when “climate” and the crisis around “global warming” were there but only minor in the zeitgeist of planetary consciousness—at least, it was much less than it is today and in the last decade of the 21^st century’s unfolding... then, to analyze this I have to bring forward problematic issues that are in that particular historical discourse, and then bring them into light of my own search in (a.) above and ultimately to answering (b.) above.

No one has pursued, to my knowledge, this kind of in depth research project that (a.), (b.) and (c). involve—and, the time has come for this work to be done, and the sooner the better. It will take a dedicated number of individuals and a team (perhaps) to do a good job of this and prepare the material for publication. I’m inviting interested researchers and thinkers to consider my proposition. I myself have already begun this venture, however, I am only in the very early stages of organizing and designing how to proceed. It would also be great to acquire “gifting” and “funding” supports for such an initiative.

 ****

NOTES

[1] See my recent 2019 teaching video : “The Great Collapse: How Afraid Should We Be?”

[2] Excerpt from April 25, 2019 FM blog (which Desh Subba and other fearists endorsed enthusiastically).

[3] See Fisher (2018) tech papers No. 66-70.

[4] For e.g., CO2 FEAR chart Posted by R.Michael Fisher on September 11, 2015.

[5].  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXuzdoKs9pI

[6] For e.g., Cohl, H. A. (1997). Are we scaring ourselves to death: How pessimism, paranoia, and a misguided  media are leading us toward disaster. NY: St. Martin's Griffin. 

Dr. Jinmin Lee was a Korean graduate of Politics Department of Brandeis University, USA, and has written a most valuable contribution to fear management literature in their doctorate dissertation: "The Faces of Fear: Cross-Cultural Dialogues on Fear and Political Community" 2014

Anyone interested in the interrelationship between fear and politics, especially the imaginary of fear of political philosophers (E. and W.)--this dissertation is going to be of great interest. I offer the dissertation here in pdf (link above), with the following Abstract: 

"Inspred by the hopes of better understanding and managing fear in our political lives, this dissertation engages Western and Chinese thinkers in a cross-cultural dialogue about fear. Influenced by the Enlightenment portrayal of fear, we tend to think fear as the great evil of civilization and the greatest enemy of freedom. This research shows that this way of thinking about fear is not the only one that is plausible or available to us. In order to understand what is missing from our current understanding of fear, this dissertation explores parallels among six philosophers who represent diverse attitudes to fear and political community. The six philosophers are grouped in three pairs, each of which includes one Western and one Chinese thinker: the moralists Aristotle and Confucius; the realists, Hobbes and Han Fei; and the Enlighteners, Montesquieu and Lian Qichao. From the dialogue among these thinkers, the thesis shows how the concept of fear has changed its character; how fear has developed critical relationships with justice, equality and liberty; and how fear has been related to the different ways of political life. At the same time, by highlighting each voice's strengths and weaknesses, this cross-cultural dialogue enables us to see how each theory may hide sources of fear within itself and how, ironically, they sometimes inflate the fears that they were designed to tame. Contemporary liberals, in particular, need to learn that there is much that is missing in our current understanding of fear and how these limitations may undermine their efforts to promote individual liberty and security. In this regard, these different faces of fear point both to a richer portrait of fear and a better understanding of how to handle it." 

*****

I just published a Tech Paper 83 .pdf (involving Lee's work).

Jean Paul Sartre, "Existence precedes essence."

Desh Subba, "Existence of fear precedes essence."

-Desh Subba

The ontological relationship of essence to existence is one of the controversial big topics in philosophical history. What is their right relationship? Is it merely a joke? Or is it a serious challenge in the human quest for truth?  

In my experience, readers mostly don't want to enter into very serious thought of the inner core part of philosophy’s debates, and with essence and existence this is also the case. They usually either comment from a surface reaction or a mocking smile. It is a characteristic of mass general readers to not engage deeper into such queries because they read for the sake of reading itself. After reading, they do nothing. They are free in their choice, duty and responsibility, no pressure to go further because they are independent reader. Few readers have the deeper interest. They might think once about these two sayings above. I hope they will think beyond a mere blind belief of classical existentialism (e.g., Sartre). Erecting beliefs upon the Eifel Tower of Old Existentialism, cannot penetrate unveiling new logic, no, not even hammering with a new logical hammer will be enough. So to see through original existentialism’s beliefs we need to throw provocative light upon the old shadows of Existentialism and philosophy itself.  

I think an example of a challenging question for them is the case of the Mad Man.

In original existentialism belief (e.g., Jean Paul Sartre) says existence precedes essence. It is a breath of Existentialist or Existentialism via their Land Mark? If existentialists are surviving in the philosophical world; Reason is their trusty Land Mark. But I think an example of a challenging question for them is the case of the Mad Man.  

Why a Mad Man doesn't precede essence? He is an existence and he has consciousness. Existence of insane is like essence vice versa. In practical terms, Existence doesn't directly precede essence. If we accept it then, why existence of Mad Man doesn't precede essence? 

My conclusion is: Only existence of fear precedes essence. Exploring for food, shelter and practicing a worship of nature was not because of existence, it was because of existence of fear. Existence itself is virtually a senseless entity or state of being. It cannot activate towards essence without motivational drive(s); activation towards essence is made due to fear. Even Mad Man has some sense though he/she cannot precede any essence. We can take another example of an infant. Existence of Infant doesn’t precede essence because their consciousness, sense and knowledge are not ready to explorer essence. Until they don't know themselves whether they are stone or man, how one can precede to essence. Condition of the infant and insane is more or less the same. In their condition existence precedes essence or essence precedes existence; it doesn't make a difference to them.  

Later Kant mixed up empiricist and rationalist and developed critical philosophy.

First existence is like nominal sense. Nominal means in the sense equal to infant and insane.  Nominal sense processes towards more consciousness. Sense, step by step separates into consciousness and knowledge. Many philosophers have worked out how knowledge comes after consciousness(?). Later Kant mixed up empiricist and rationalist and developed critical philosophy. I have given a map of understanding life-consciousness-knowledge-fear as developmental. This knowledge is acquired from sense organs, incident, environment, necessity and conditional reflex in the stage of unconsciousness, semi-consciousness and consciousness accordingly. When it comes to age of knowledge, first stage is fear of existence. Fear of existence changes into existence of fear. Existence of fear precedes essence. Existence of fear means knowledge of fear. Knowledge of fear precedes essence. Thus existence of fear precedes essence not only existence precedes to essence.

Article is edited by R. Michael Fisher

Bhawani Shankar Adhikari

The fear of eco-turbulence is the greatest one.

This eco-fear must be made positive fear to prevent the possible disaster.

Abstract

                Fear in eco-turbulence captures the real picture of the present global warming's, chemical issues, industrial smokes, pollution in different fields and the fear of the environment and the exports who want to avoid such possible disasters for the living creatures. It has attempted to present the facts as it is to give the true knowledge to those people who have no knowledge in this regard. It shows that lots of experts have already warned the people to be conscious in it and to address the issues on time for the sake humanity. It does not blame anyone but awakens the people of all levels to come in the action of preserving and balancing the ecology and environment in no time.     

Introduction

                Fear is closely linked with ecology. If ecology is protected, every thing is protected. If the ecological position goes beyond the human control, then everything gets collapsed. The fear of eco-turbulence is the greatest one. This eco-fear must be made positive fear to prevent the possible disaster. It must not be treated with negative form of fear because it can become much more harmful to control the eco-turbulence both physically and psychologically if it is viewed from the negative lens of fear. So, eco- fear must be handled properly.

Fear in Different Fields

                Fear has got multiple dimensions. Fear has touched the heart of each and every individual from laymen to scholars, farmers to physicians, laborers to administrators, official clerks to officers, politicians to prime minister and presidents, lawyers to judges, journalists to media-station investors, workers to industrialists, students to professors, and learners to scientists and so on. But the fear is categorized field to field and profession to profession. Each individual has the personal fear and fear is within the level of each individuals. It is beyond the instrumental capacity of measuring the fear of the individuals. Modern science and technology has invented a lot of wonderful things in the world but even science has failed to discover the instrument of measuring the real quantity of fear of anyone. So, fear is a mysterious one.

                Fear in eco-system is concerned with the ecologists and environmental scientists. Professor, Shreedhar Lohani , has composed a poem, "Gaia" of eco-criticism. The poet advocates about the preservation of the mother earth to protect the humanity. The professor Lohani is worried about the present global issues of ecological degradation. Professor Lohani writes:

•                 The searing wind among the withered palms-
•                 The devouring rain-
•                 . . . . The crooked beak of a mountain peak-
•                 Turbulence and hunger
• All around-
•                 Yet-
•                 She endures. (175)

                This extracted part of poem is the best example of eco-criticism and the real picture of the present world. No rain is a normal rain. It is unusual called "the devouring rain". The forest is not in natural form. It is "withered palms" and the blowing of the wind is unnatural called "The searing wind". The condition of mountain is not in a normal form. "The crooked beak of a mountain peak" displays the disfiguring condition of the beauty of mountains. Ecological decay has caused the trouble, turbulence and hunger all around the globe. The exploitation on earth is too much but yet the mother earth endures it. The condition of earth is worsening day by day. And it is too late to conserve the beauty of nature if the humanity is to be saved in the usual form. It is the time of ecologists and environmental scientists who need to make other levels of people alert, conscious and aware on time about the possible ecological disaster. To preserve the beauty of ecology on time is batter than to lament later. 

Fear of Global Warming

Overpopulation has become the main cause of ecological defect.

The ecology has generated the world fear to the conscious people. - Desh Subba

                Today's world is not as it was yesterday. The environment is changing on and on. The news of the unusual rain and tornados has brought the plights of the modern humane humans. The normal rain becomes the flood and the normal wind takes the form of tempest and such natural disasters become the main cause of death and devastation. The human peace and harmony and happiness and sleep has become beyond the thought of humanity. Michael Fisher has written "Eco-philosophy of Fearism and Eco-criticism: In an Age of Terror" in which he explains about the burning issues of eco-problem. He writes:

It is time for Eco-philosophy of Fearism. Sooner or later we must do it. We have a fear of global warming, pollution, increase of mass destruction weapons. There are source of many philosophy of fearism. Everyone needs to do specialization. We are waiting how new scholars grab it. (3)

The global warming is the issue of fearism. It is essential to handle the fear of pollution. The coming scholars need to understand it and they need to do specialization of their study in the fear eco-system. If fearism does not address the modern problems of industrial areas chemical clouding in a positive form, it would be the disastrous to all the human existence. A lot of toxic chemicals are found in Chinese industrial area. China suffers both from the local and international pollution. It is said in YouTube that 17% of air in china is not having the air quality because of the industrial production of the goods. People do not go out without wearing masks. China is one example of chemical pollution and other countries are not the exception of such condition.

YouTube states that China could not improve and control the pollution. China focuses only on economic growth and the government does not seem to care the pollution. China burns large number of coal which produces much more pollution. But the government has given even incentive for electric cars to protect the pollution. China is struggling with the new technology to fight against the pollution. Fear of Chinese pollution is one of the examples of eco-turbulence. The global temperature is changing rapidly and worsening day to day. Hence, the world's political leaders and the heads of the states need to come together and consult the exports how to curb the worsening condition of ecological and environmental position. Such type of fear should be in the minds of the heads of the government and they should not have the fear of only winning the next election. They have to have the broader type of the fear for the positive transformation of the negative condition of global warming.

To sum up, the global warming means the increase in temperature and to cause the number of unexpected things on the earth. Desh Subba gives the mirror like picture of the global warming in the following extract:

There is increase in temperature due to the over use of fuel, electricity, growth of population and destruction of forests. The use of fuel produces carbon dioxide. Snow melt and the sea level rises due to this global warming. The land near the sea sinks into water . . . . It brings about climate change- it is burning issue in the world. This global warming has severely affected all living things, particularly plantation, animal and birds. The world will not be a good and favorable place for all living creatures if wilderness, famine, desertification, and warmth continue. (298-99)

The global warning is such a fearful situation in which nothing can be imagined and even thought of. The extreme form of global warming is beyond the possibility of life on the earth.  And why the heads of the government do not fear about it on time and initiate the rational action to prevent the future melancholy and misfortune of humanity. 

The Human Condition

"We believe fear itself has multiple and infinite meanings and roles and

serves as a type of 'mirror' to self-awareness and consciousness itself " Michael Fisher

                Comfortable life of human beings depends on the fear of preserving the eco-system in the world. The more conscious fear, the better human condition it becomes. Fear is everywhere and no place is left untouched with fear. "Everything that is available creates fear or has a factor of fear (Subba 19)". Subba has said that fear factor is found in everything but now the fear of the world is to be for the protection of ecology and environment to protect the human condition from disaster.

                Jared Diamond has expressed the fear of losing the human civilization in his essay "Adaptive failure: Easter's End". He talks about the vanished Polynesian society. "Among all such vanished civilizations that of the former Polynesian society on Easter Island remain unsurpassed in mystery and isolation (Diamond 247)". The Polynesian society did not know how to save the ecology and environment. This society did not have the fear of saving the civilization and vanished the whole society. The Polynesian Islanders did not have the knowledge of saving the forest. The ignorance of the islanders is narrated:

Gradually trees became fewer, smaller and less important. By the time the last fruit bearing adult palm tree was cut, palms had long since ceased to be economic significance. That left only smaller and smaller palm saplings to clear each year, along with other bushes and tree lets. No one would have noticed the felling of the last small palms. (Diamond 258)

This quote indicates the ignorance of fear in the process of preserving the palm trees and it became the main cause of losing life and civilization. So, the fear in Diamond is the possible similar fate of present world. He further draws the ideas "If we continue to follow our present course, we shall have exhausted the world's major fisheries, fossil fuels and much of our so (258-59)". It is the fear of losing everything from the world and ultimately the humanity and its whole civilization. Diamond has given the fearful picture of the Islanders and he has asked to do the conservation of ecological beauty. Diamond writes:

The Easter Islanders had no books and no histories of other doomed societies. Unlike the Easter Islanders, we have histories of the past information that can save us. My main hope for my sons' generation is that we my now choose to learn from the fates of societies like Easter's. (259)

Diamond has compared and contrasted the Easter Islanders and the present world. We have got more information and historical books and knowledge to save the ecology and to save ourselves. We need to learn from the fates of societies like Easter's and need to fear to have the similar fate. If we do not fear, our fate may not become different from that of the Easter Islanders but it is only the matter of sooner or later. Therefore our fate is in our own hands and the rational activities.

The modern world is in the most critical situation. Ozone layer depletion is not properly handled to preserve it on time. More than 99% of the sun's ultraviolet radiation is absorbed by the ozone layer but it is depleting faster and faster ever than before. Anuradha Chaudhary in her essay "How Sane Are We?" writes:

A depletion of stratospheric ozone might allow more ultraviolet radiation to reach the ground and disrupt natural ecosystems, lower agricultural productivity, suppress the human immune system, and raise the incidence of skin cancer and eye cataracts (American Chemical Society 231). (262)   

Chaudary's quote shows that the depletion of ozone layer is one of the main causes for the disruption of natural ecosystems and lower agricultural production as well as number of fatal diseases like skin cancer and eye cataracts. Now it is the time of becoming quite serious and to come into the action of avoiding it. If we don't fear about such possibility on time, the environment crisis may occur soon.

We are all responsible for the destruction of ecology and environment. But our collective actions are reckless and self-destructive. We seem we are fearless about it and we are digging our own or our descendants' graves. We need to think to change the ways of doing politics and even thinking process to save the living beings in the world. Chaudhary argues:

We must therefore need Capek's final admonition: if we fail to take decisive action, if we fail to bring about fundamental changes in our ways of thinking and doing politics, we just might sink and drown. (265)

This extract reveals that we all have to be quite responsible to conserve the nature. If we don't bring the fundamental changes in the ways of thinking and doing politics, the whole humanity might sink and drown. The course of doing politics for the sake of gaining power and chair must be changed. It must be done for the solution of burning issues of global warming and degrading human condition. But it has become too late and we must have the fear in it. In this respect, Anuradha Chaudhary quotes the fearful idea of Rudyard Kipling:

Now we can only wait till the day, wait and apportion our shame. These are the dykers our father left, but we would not look to the same. Time and again were we warned of the dykers, time and again we delayed. Now it may fall, we have slain our sons, as our fathers we have betrayed. (260)

This quote of Rudyard Kipling shows that we are in a helplessness of conserving the ecological condition. If we do not fear our future doom, we are the murderers of our future progeny. We lack the deeper understanding of ecological issues. We all people from the common laymen to the presidents must have the conscious and energetic positive fear to control the deteriorating ecological condition of the world. If we take such strong determination from now on, we can do somehow the positive management of the environmental position. Otherwise, we all are just waiting the doom days.  

The main cause of fear of ecological degrading condition is overpopulation and deforestation. More people need more houses, fuels, cultivable lands and more woods and people cut down the trees. Overpopulation and deforestation are interrelated problems. "Population size and rates of growth are key elements in environmental change ( Nissani 33)". If population is controlled, the deforestation can automatically be controlled.

The ecological condition is not a new problem but it is rapid in its crisis. The deforestation causes the main as well as greater problem. The deforestation is also not a new one but the difference is that it is faster than ever before. Moti  Nissani writes:

The deforestation crisis is not new. Many earlier civilizations, including those of the Middle East, New York, Mexico, and Easter Island, precipitated their own decline through overpopulation and deforestation. The difference is that we are destroying our forests faster and on a larger scale, than ever before. . . . Earlier in this century, forests covered around 40% of the earth's total land area. By this century's end, that figure will stand at about 25%. (34-35)

The deforestation process being faster and in rapid form than ever before is much more frightening. The world's 40% forest turning into 25% is another sign of fear. The worldwide eco-turbulence must come in the conscious mind of people and must be addressed with a positive type of fear. The blunder goes not to those ignorant people but to those who are familiar in the facts of such condition in the world.

Quantity of Fear

                It is too complicated task to know the quantity of fear because the method of measuring the quality of fear has not been discovered. Desh Subba has argued about the problem of measuring fear. Subba writes:

Thus, external and internal factors always strike fear from all sides. Similarly, lots of temperaments, merits, and demerits keep moving inside the consciousness. There should be a balance in all. It is easier to balance them if they can be measured. We have not been able to treat fear easily due to lack of its measurement. We are obliged to deal with and treat fear by means of its experience and realization, for there has not been any method of solid measurement so far. (153)

Fear is concerned with consciousness and the knowledge. But how much fear people have with ecological condition cannot be measured and can not be understood. The external fear can be studied with the physical appearance of a person but it becomes too difficult to know the internal fear of person. So, fear is only realized and experienced. Until and unless minimum quantity of fear is applied in the decaying condition of ecology and the environment, the effort of conserving and balancing the ecological harmony remains only in words but not in action. It is the lack of understanding and lack of having the true knowledge of it to the people. The ecologists and the environmentalists only have the better knowledge and fear of worldwide worsening position of the ecology. The heads of the government and the policy makers need to have the knowledge about it to manage the fear of ecology and to save the world from the unimaginable echo-terror and it their responsibility and duty too.   

 Differences of Fear

                 Differences of fear vary person to person and the creatures to creatures. Those people, who are more conscious, become more alert and have the greater fear. People must fear more than the animals since they are more conscious and dutiful as well as responsible to save the ecology and environment. "People must struggle more than birds and animals due to their levels of consciousness, necessity and problem (Subba 282)". The humans are to be in the fear of preserving the ecological balance in the global village. Fear is necessary. "Food and shelter maintains the existence of animals. Only these two things cannot maintain the existence of human beings (Subba 282)". The human beings must have the greater fear than the fear of other animals. If people become more conscious with positive fear, the ecological condition of the world can be altered. Those people who have meaningful fear to protect the humanity must have the responsible fear to lead the whole world in a suitable place to live.

Fear in Population Growth

                Animals and other creatures do not have the fear of their population growth since they are not conscious like human beings. So, it is entirely human beings who fear with the growth rate of population and its negative impact with ecology and the environment. The human fear differs from other animals and the creatures. So, the humans try to be safe from any danger. Desh Subba writes:

All living creatures share this world. All these creatures have equal participation in ecology ad balance. A fluctuation in balance and ecology, no matter whether small or big, has a deep impact in our lives. Man is one of the most sensible and powerful creatures. He is able to keep himself safe from any danger and continues his generation. (279)

Subba has claimed that man is the most sensible and powerful creatures and responsible to save the ecology and environment. All living creatures share this planet and to balance the ecology is a must. To balance the ecology, middle level of fear is required.

"We need a better fear education"- Michael Fisher

Overpopulation has become the main cause of ecological defect. The ecology has generated the world fear to the conscious people. Subba narrates:

Forest, plantation, and animals are the sources that provide all the necessary things to man. A land that was consumed by ten people twenty five years ago is consumed by twenty people after twenty years . . . . The growth of all these things yields bad impacts due to overpopulation. Thus, increase in population has a direct impact on ecology. Many animals, birds, and plants are becoming extinct due to lack of enough shelter, meadows, and preservation. That's why there is fear of depletion of the whole ecology. (297)

This extract shows that overpopulation has become the cause of deforestation, and the extinction of shelter and even the sources of food. The fear of depletion of whole ecology in the world is turning to be true.

The crisis of food and shelter including habitats comes not only to the animals but also to the human beings if we don't become more conscious to preserve the ecological balance. In this respect, Desh Subba has presented the facts:

Living creatures particularly animals and birds have crisis of habitats and foods due to overgrowth in population. Deserts and barren lands now have to be used for settlements. People, no doubt, want to live in a place full of facilities. They manage their food, shelter, and clothes but all these can cause deforestation. As a result, many wild animals and birds have already disappeared from this planet, and many others are said to have been disappearing within a century. It is indeed a dangerous indication for the future generation. (297 -98)

The extract indicates that the future generation does not have future because of overuse of forests and destruction of ecology. The humans need to be more and more alert to manage fearlessness by saving the forests and ecological balance. If the humans continue for the activities of deforestation in the same proportion as it is going on, the world would be without of any tress. It is explained:

People are overusing forests and plantation for their livelihood. They have cleared the forest for agricultural products and settlements. If we do not control or minimize overpopulation, we will have no other solution except clear the forests, which will certainly bring about the imbalance in ecology and environment. If human activities for deforestation continue one day the world is sure to be priceless (Subba 298)

Subbas's idea indicates that to be treeless means to be in the fear of life and the existence. To be imbalance in ecology and environment means to invite disaster. Some of the effects have already been realized with the climate change like drought, acid rain, heavy rain, partial rain and ozone layer depletion. The indication of horror is at hand. It causes various kinds of diseases. "Environmental pollution is a source of various diseases (Subba 298)". New kinds of skin diseases occur as a result of imbalanced environment. So, the fear of protection of environment is to be in the minds of all.

The fear of ecological and environmental imbalance can be minimized by managing the ecological problem. "Every act of the human beings is conducted by the fear (Subba 84)". If we fear and act in a rational way to balance the eco-fear, it becomes easier but everyone must have this sense of fear of balancing ecological imbalance. The life of humans cannot become easy without being free from the fear of imbalance of environment on earth. "Life cannot be easy unless the life becomes free from fear (Subba 72)". To become free from the unnecessary fear in life, we must act consciously to manage the degrading condition of ecology and environment.

Fear has multiple meanings and fear comes out of consciousness and awareness. The eco-fear comes only in those minds of the people who are conscious of the present condition of the world ecological and environmental situation. "We believe fear itself has multiple and infinite meanings and roles and serves as a type of 'mirror' to self-awareness and consciousness itself (Fisher et al 2)". It indicates that the fear in balancing of ecology and environment is to be enhanced in a necessary proportion. The self-consciousness and awareness in the field of degrading condition of ecology is a must.

"Fears always appear in those gray areas of our lives that

we feel inadequate or incompetent about ." -Osinakachi Akuma Kalu

The world, with the degrading condition of ecology and environment remains with fear and despair. ". . . all that is left is fear and despair (Kalu 41)". Until and unless the ecological and environment is not addressed on time, the eco-conscious people would be living with fear and despair in the world. We are almost unable to manage the eco-problems in the world. So, fear comes as we are not able to handle the burning issues in life. "Fears always appear in those gray areas of our lives that we feel inadequate or incompetent about (Kalu 59)". We fear with the incompetent of managing the ecological problem and the positive fear is appreciable but the negative fear is harmful to solve the problem. One of the obstacles for human happiness is fear. The fear of eco-turbulence has taken all our happiness away from us. To gain happiness we need to manage and balance the worldwide eco-turbulence and to create a fearlessness situation in the world.

Fear management has become one of the subjects of study in the present context. To create fearless situation is possible with the help of fear education. Michael Fisher writes "We need a better fear education (116)". We people have fear education; they become conscious about the eco-turbulence and actively participate to minimize the destruction and pollution of environment. ". . . it is a way to the normalization of fear itself in our societies (Fisher 60)". The act of normalization of fear in eco-turbulence is the act of balancing the environment and to know or to have the knowledge that there is not much risk of ecological bad effects in human life.

Future of Eco-fear

                We are all worried about our future and for our generation. We live for tomorrow. We want our future life better. We are the dreamers and our dreams with positive fear come to be true. The writer of philosophy of fear Eneyo argues:

We all want our tomorrow to be better than our today, because of this; we try our possible best to do those things that will guarantee the actualization of our dreams . . . uncertainty regarding our future creates fear of failure and success. (44)

"Fear is a moderator of our thoughts, actions and inactions." -Michael Bessey Eneyo

To be worried about the future ecological condition is natural as well as meaningful. To fear about the future ecological balancing is positive fear and such type of fear helps us to be active as well as more and more conscious. "Future fear is not without its advantages (Eneyo 45)". When we have the fear of better tomorrow and with its advantages, we need to work hard to make it successful. "Fear is a moderator of our thoughts, actions and inactions (Eneyo 45)". Eco-fear is to be taken as a fear of motivator of our actions to balance the ecology and environment. ". . . fear moderates our thoughts into an informed idea that enables us know what to do when occasion warrants (Eneyo 46)". When we fear about the better tomorrow, we know the right and wrong and we can better handle the problem of balancing the ecology and the environment.

Positive fear helps to bring various types of the problems in life. B. Maria Kumar and B.S Susmita have produced positive driving force in  "The Youth Don't Cry" in which they discuss about the positive fear. Kumar and Susmita write:

. . . handling of fear in a positive sense depends upon a multitude of factors such as frequency of positive social interactions, positive physical environment, levels of knowledge, education and wisdom, scientific temper, positive attitude, hope, etc. (167)       

This quote indicates the positive fear of solving the problems of any kind. Levels of knowledge, education and wisdom can become the source of solving the future eco-fears. The youths need to develop the positive fear to balance the ecology and environment because youths are the future responsible and the dreamers more than the old people. Fear with reasoning to the youths can assist to guarantee the better tomorrow.

. . . handling of fear in a positive sense depends upon a multitude of factors such as frequency of positive social interactions, positive physical environment, levels of knowledge, education and wisdom, scientific temper, positive attitude, hope, etc.- B. Maria Kumar and B. S. Susmita

Conclusion

                Fear in eco-turbulence has become the central issue all over the world. The chemical clouding has threatened the world. Nobody knows how much harmful effects we are facing in day to day life. We can feel only when we really experience the ecological and environmental effects in our real life. Until and unless we face the reality of its harmful results, we just fear.

                The earth is in pain but "yet she endures". The implicit warning is that if human kind continues to exploit the earth recklessly, the earth may strike back. The ecological condition of the world indicates the darker picture of the future. But there is also hope for us because we can learn from the past mistakes. So, positive fear for better life for tomorrow plays the significant role to balance the ecology and environment. The positive fear in youths, intellectuals, ecologists and the environment experts can assist to become more and more conscious about the possible doom of the humanity. Hence, the positive fear is to be taken in positive sense to manage the fearless world for us and for our generation. But this type of positive fear should reach the hearts of all the heads of the government and administrators as well as from the laymen to the presidents to address this terrible issue. If it is not addressed. seriously and positively on time, the existence of any living creatures cannot be even imagined in future. 

Author:

Bhawani shankar Adhikari is a Nepal born author. Bhawani Shankar Adhikari Born: 29 September 1968 Panchthar, Nepal. Teaches English language and literature in Balmeeki Campus, Kathmandu, Sanskrit University of Nepal Qualification: M.phil. (in English), Ph.D Scholars, student of LLB, B Ed, Father's Name: Khadga Prasad Adhikari Mother's Name: Chandrakala Adhikari His books: 1. Communism and Power Domination in George Orwell's 1984 and the Animal Farm 2. Sexuality And Sexual Perversion in The Waste Land of T.S. Eliot 3. Balmeeki: Prose Poems and Travelogue 4. More than 20 research articles Lives in Kathmandu, Nepal. Involved in NELTA and different private colleges.        

Works Cited

Chaudary, Anuradha. "How Same We Are?" Flax- Golden Tales: An Inter-displinary Approach to Learning English. Ekta Books: Kathmandu, Nepal. 2008. Print.

China's War on Pollution. YouTube.

Diamond, Jared. "Adaptive Failure: Easter's End". Flax- Golden Tales: An Inter-displinary Approach to Learning English. Ekta Books: Kathmandu, Nepal. 2008. Print.

Eneyo, Michael Bassey. Philosophy of Fear: A Move to Overcoming Negative Fear. Xlibris. 2018. Print.

Fisher, R. Michael and Desh Subba. Philosophy of Fearism: A First East- West Dialogue. Xlibris. 2016. Print. 

Fisher, R. Michael, B. Maria Kumar and Desh Subba. Fear, Law and Criminology. Critical issues in Applying The Philosophy of Fearism. Xlibris. 2018. Print.

Fisher, R. Michael. Eco-philosophy of Fearism and Eco-criticism: In an Age of Terror. Technical paper no. 68. 2017. Print.

Kalu, Osinakachi Akuma. The First Stage of the Fearologist. Owerri. The Penlords. 2017. Print.

Kumar, B. Maria and B.S Susmita. The Youth Don't Cry: A critical commentary on the Youth about their fears and hopes amidst adversities and opportunities. Indra Publishing House: Habibganj Police Station Road.2018. Print 

Nissani, Moti and Shreedhar Lohani. Flex- Golden Tales: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Learning English. "Gaia". Ekta Books: Kathmandu, Nepal. 2008. Print.  

Nissani, Moti. "Two Long-term Problems: Too Many People, Too Few Trees". The Heritage of Words. Ekta Books: Kathmandu, Nepal. 1998. Print.

Subba, Desh. Philosophy of Fearism: Life is Conducted, Directed and Controlled by the Fear. Xlibris. 2014. Print.

Subba, Desh. The Tribesman's Journey to Fearless. A Novel Based on Fearism. Xlibris. 2015. Print.

The Devastating Effects of pollution in China (part ½ ) 2014. YouTube.

The following Technical Papers (1-84) are all available and all Yellow Papers, on the PRISM digital library, University of Calgary archives. A Google Scholar Search under my name will likely show them all as well. 

Fisher, R. M. (2019). Schopenhauer on fear. Technical Paper No. 84. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. 

Fisher, R. M. (2019). Politics of fear: An integrative paradigm of fear management/education. Technical Paper No. 83. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research

Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2019). Notes and drawings to myself: A Fearlessness future. Technical Paper No. 82. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. 

Fisher, R. M. (2019). How the “culture of positivity” debilitates Fear Studies. Technical Paper No. 81. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2019). In Search of Fearlessness Project: Archival memory, 1989-91. Technical Paper No. 80. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2019). Fearlessness Psychology: An introduction. Technical Paper No. 79. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2018). Fisher’s engagements with fearism: An annotated bibliography. Technical Paper No. 78. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2018). Fear, fearlessness and education: Annotated bibliography of the publications of R. Michael Fisher. Technical Paper No. 77. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2018). “Fear has no place...”: The youth movement for fearlessness in need of critique. Technical Paper No. 76. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2018). Hypnosis to feargnosis: An introduction to trance-formations. Technical Paper No. 75. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2018). ‘Fear’ Studies, 12 years later: Progress and barriers. Technical Paper No. 74. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2018). The fourth stage of the fearologist. Technical Paper No. 73. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2018). The Fearlessness Movement: Meta-context exposed! Technical Paper No. 72. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2018). Education and the Fear Problem: An investigation of “truths”. Technical Paper No. 71. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2017). Ecocriticism, ecophobia and Indigenous criticism. Technical Paper No. 70. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2017). Fearanalysis and ecocriticism in the light of terrorcriticism. Technical Paper No. 69. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2017). Eco-philosophy of fearism and ecocriticism: In an Age of Terror. Technical Paper No. 68. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2017). Ecocriticism, ecophobia and the culture of fear: Autobiographical reflections. Technical Paper No. 67. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Insitute.

Fisher, R. M. (2017). Why eco-criticism now?: Pathways to the Eco-Fear Problem and ecophobia. Technical Paper No. 66. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2017). Love-Fear: Uni-Bicentric Theorem as basis for the Fearlessness Movement. Technical Paper No. 65. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2017). “Fearism”: A critical analysis of uses and discourses in global migration studies. Technical Paper No. 64. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2016). Transformation of Fear: A critical look in educational philosophy and contexts. Technical Paper No. 63. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2016). Invoking fearanalysis: A new methodology applied to wicked problems and paradigm shifts in the Anthropocene. A CSIIE Yellow Paper, DIFS-15. Carbondale, IL: Center for Spiritual Inquiry & Integral Education.

Fisher, R. M. (2016). Four Arrows: His philosophy, theory, praxis & pedagogy. Technical Paper No. 62. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M., Coyne, E., and Biddington, T. (2016). Education, theology and fear: Two priests and a fearologist in dialogue. Technical Paper No. 61. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2016). Educators, we have a culture of fear problem! A CSIIE Yellow Paper, DIFS-14. Carbondale, IL:  Center for Spiritual Inquiry and Integral Education.

Fisher, R. M. (2016). Ideological underpinnings of colonial domination in understanding fear itself. Technical Paper No. 60. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2016). Problem of branding “fearlessness” in education and leadership. Technical Paper No. 59. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2016). In defense of fearism: The case of Noam Chomsky. Technical Paper No. 58. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. and Subba, D. (2016). Terrrorism: A guide to fearful times based on a philosophy of fearism. Technical Paper No. 57. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2015). Fearanalysis: Further notes from a forensic craft. Technical Paper No. 56. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2015). Educative criteria for using the terms “fearlessness” and “fearless.” Technical Paper No. 55. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2015). Educating ourselves: Lovist or Fearist perspective? Technical Paper No. 54. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2015). What is the West’s problem with fearlessness? Technical Paper No. 53. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2015). Further steps to an ecology of fear. Technical Paper No. 52. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2014). Towards a theory of fearism. Technical Paper No. 51. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2014). Aesthetics of a decolonizing mind. A CSIIE Yellow Paper, DIFS-13. Carbondale, IL: Center for Spiritual Inquiry & Integral Education.

Fisher, R. M., and J. M. Massey) (2014). Decolonizing: What makes for a (r)evolution today?: Oppressor and oppressed in critical integral praxis. A CSIIE Yellow Paper, DIFS-12. Carbondale, IL: Center for Spiritual Inquiry & Integral Education.

Fisher, R. M. (with Massey, J. M.) (2014). Decolonizing: Physician of the mind (interview with Jason Martez Massey). A CSIIE Yellow Paper DIFS-11. Carbondale, IL: Center for Spiritual Inquiry & Integral Education.

Fisher, R. M. (2014). "Fearless leadership" in education: Containers, contradictions & recalibrations. A CSIIE Yellow Paper, DIFS-10. Carbondale, IL: Center for Spiritual Inquiry & Integral Education.

Fisher, R. M. (2014). Making an integral therapist: Sociotherapist (Part 1). A CSIIE Yellow Paper, DIFS-9. Carbondale, IL: Center for Spiritual Inquiry & Integral Education.

Fisher, R. M. (2013). Fearuality: Introduction to a theoretical and conceptual breakthrough. Technical Paper No. 50. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2013). Females and fear: Contributions and challenges. Technical Paper No. 49. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2013). The problem of defining the concept of "fear-based." Technical Paper No. 48. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2013). On being a good integralist. A CSIIE Yellow Paper, DIFS-8. Carbondale, IL: Center for Spiritual Inquiry & Integral Education.

Fisher, R. M. (2013). Fearology and the French historical consciousness of its Intelligentsia. Technical Paper No. 47. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2013). Fearlessness paradigm meets Bracha Ettinger's matrixial theory. Technical Paper No. 46. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2013). Making fearuality more sexy: Intersections with Foucault. Technical Paper No. 45. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2013). 'Fear' without feelings (FWF): Latest discoveries & speculations on the cure for 'fear.' Technical Paper No. 44. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2013). Shadow Problem, Fear Problem: Jung meets fearanalysis. Technical Paper No. 42. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2012). Foundations for 'Fear' Studies: 9 propositions. Technical Paper No. 43. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2012). Towards an integral fearlessness theory (Part 1): Nondual integralism. Technical Paper No. 41. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2012). Do we really want a fearless society? Technical Paper No. 40. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2012). Erich Fromm and universal humane experience: Application in the aesthetic domain for art educators. Technical Paper No. 39. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2012). Steps to an ecology of fear: Advanced curriculum for fearlessness. Technical Paper No. 38. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2012). Love and fear. A CSIIE Yellow Paper, DIFS-6. Carbondale, IL: Center for Spiritual Inquiry & Integral Education.

Fisher, R. M. (2012). Beginning dispensations of integral fearology: Systematics and problematics in the study of fear. A CSIIE Yellow Paper, DIFS-5. Carbondale, IL: Center for Spiritual Inquiry & Integral Education.

Fisher, R. M. (2012). The Fear Matrix: The making of a revolutionary lived curriculum. A CSIIE Yellow Paper, DIFS-4. Carbondale, IL: Center for Spiritual Inquiry and Integral Education.

Fisher, R. M. (2012). A survey of contemporary integral adult/higher education: A CSIIE pilot project. Carbondale, IL: Center for Spiritual Inquiry & Integral Education.

Fisher, R. M. (2011). "Culture of fear" and education: An annotated bibliography [2nd ed.]. Technical Paper No. 28. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2011). A new ‘Fear’ Studies vocabulary. A CSIIE Yellow Paper, DIFS-3. Carbondale, IL: Center for Spiritual Inquiry & Integral Education.

Fisher, R. M. (2011). A research agenda to legitimate the study of ‘fear;: Beginning Fearology 2000-11. A CSIIE Yellow Paper, DIFS-2. Carbondale, IL: Center for Spiritual Inquiry & Integral Education.

Fisher, R. M. (2011). The flatland and fearlessness teachings of Ken Wilber. A CSIIE Yellow Paper, DIFS-1. Carbondale, IL: Center for Spiritual Inquiry & Integral Education.

Fisher, R. M. (2011). A ‘Fear’ Studies perspective and critique: Analyzing English and Stengel’s progressive study of fear and learning in Educational Theory. Technical Paper No. 37. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. 

Fisher, R. M. (2010). The death of Psychology: Integral and Fifth Force psychologies. Technical Paper No. 36. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. 

Fisher, R. M. (2010). World’s fearlessness teachings: Radical approach to fear management/education. Technical Paper No. 35. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2009). The quest to control emotion(s): A critical integral fearanalysis. Technical Paper No. 34. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.  

Fisher, R. M. (2009). “Unplugging” as real and metaphoric: Emancipatory dimensions to The Matrix trilogy. Technical Paper No. 33. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R. M. (2008). What ‘color’ is Pandora’s Box?: Dialoguing on fear, art installation 1. Technical Paper No. 32. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2008). Fearless standpoint theory: Origins of FMS-9 in Ken Wilber’s work. Technical Paper No. 31. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2008). A post-9/11 watershed: Uniting the fearlessness movement. Technical Paper No. 30. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2007). The need for holistic fear management. Technical Paper No. 29. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2007). Culture of fear and education: An annotated bibliography. Technical Paper 28. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2007). Ken Wilber and the education literature: Abridged annotated bibliography. Retrieved from

      http://www.pathsoflearning-net/resources_writings_Ken_Wilber.pdf

Fisher, R.M. (2007). A guide to Ken Wilber and the educational literature: Annotated bibliography. Technical Paper No. 27. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2007). Disappear fear: Action fearology for the 21^st century. Technical Paper No. 26. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2007). Education and the culture of fear: A review. Technical Paper No. 25. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2007). Toward an integral terror management theory: Wilber-Combs lattice. Technical Paper No. 24. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2007). Conceptualizing a fearlessness philosophy: Existential philosophy and a genealogy of fear management system-5. Technical Paper No. 23. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2007). History of the fearlessness movement: An introduction. Technical Paper No. 22. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. & Bickel, B. (2007). Toward a postmodern spirituality: A ‘new’ vision for ISOF. Technical Paper No. 21. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2006). Integral fearlessness paradigm. Technical Paper No. 20. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2005). Critical integral ‘Fear’ Studies: A basic organizing framework. Technical Paper No. 19. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2004). Significance of fear. Technical Paper No. 18. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2004). Wilber and fear management theory. Technical Paper No. 17. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2003). Fear is... Technical Paper No. 16. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2003). A report on the status of fear education. Technical Paper No. 15. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2002). On being a 'fear' critic. Technical Paper No. 14. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2002). What is the 'Fear' Matrix: Part I, Failure of cultural. Technical Paper No. 13. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2001). Fearology: Biography of an idea. Technical Paper No. 12. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2001). 'Fear' studies: A conceptual proposal. Technical Paper No. 11. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2000). A movement toward a fearless society: A powerful contradiction to violence. Technical Paper No. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (2000). Unveiling the hidden curriculum in conflict resolution and peace education: Future directions toward a critical conflict education and 'conflict' pedagogy. Technical Paper No. 9 Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. 

Fisher, R. M. (2003). Philosopher on fear meets Oprah-Not!. Technical Paper No. 8. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. 

Fisher, R. M. (1998/2012). Culture of 'fear': Toxification of landscape-mindscape as meta-context for education in the 21st century. Technical Paper No. 7. Vancouver, BC: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (1997). Defining the enemy of fearlessness. Technical Paper No. 6. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. 

Fisher, R.M. (1997). (2nd Ed.). A research guide to Ken Wilber's critics. Technical Paper No. 5. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. 

Fisher, R. M. (1997). Thanatos and Phobos: 'Fear' and its role in Ken Wilber's transpersonal theory. Technical Paper No. 4. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (1996). A Wilberian critique of the philosophy of emotion. Technical Paper No. 3. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Fisher, R.M. (1995). An introduction to an epistemology of 'fear'; A fearlessness paradigm. Technical Paper No. 2. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. 

Fisher, R.M. (1995). An introduction to defining 'fear'; A spectrum approach. Technical Paper No. 1. Calgary, AB: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.

Art work by R. Michael Fisher (c) 2003.

This is an image from p. 359 of my dissertation (Fisher, 2003) [1]. I wanted to show that I was into doing digital graphics for the first time that year and exploring what I could do with it... though, this is a b/w version of the color plate in my original dissertation. 

As for the real reason I want to share this political blog, it is because I found a very humorous (and serious) excerpt from pp. 18-19 of my dissertation. This excerpt below picks-up on a dialogue of a real historical political-activist figure, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, a youth leader of the May Revolution of students in 1968 in French universities--the dialogue is a fictional one but based on my study of Cohn-Bendit's theories and philosophy of revolution. So, below, he is the D and I am the M. 

M: So, Daniel let's get back to the May Revolution. How are things different now, as you see them? 

D: I won't talk about me. I want to talk about the liberalism that has infected so many old and new activists, intellectuals, and just about everybody else under capitalism's insurgence into every fabric of our lives today. 

M: You sound like Mao.

D: One doesn't have to be a Maoist or Marxist, to see the opportunism and individualism that goes with liberalism--that is, the cracked-out addiction to safety and security, greed and waste, that drives this fearism, hey Michael? Henri Lefebvre called it the "terror of everyday life." It is the pernicious creeping passivity that throttles our liberal 'souls' and leaves us 'sitting ducks' or TV-couch potatoes, computer-chair potatoes, fragmented cyborgs....

M: That's my experience in most North Americans, and certainly of most youth today in Canada, where I live. Sure, I'm generalizing... but god just look at the young people going to The University of British Columbia. My six years of graduate school here have left me pretty depressed--especially, when I look at most graduate students, preservice teachers, their professors, the courses offered, the regulation of campus life and rigid bureaucratic protocols--and worst of all, a collection of "managers" posing as administrative "leaders" in the Faculty of Education and the entire university system. I don't think UBC is unique in its pathology--culture of fear. Wilber really goes after the postmodern university and cites Kors and Silvergate's study in their book The Shadow University: The Betrayal of Liberty on America's Campuses--the administrators are becoming Grand Inquisitors, they argue. Boomeritis [a la Wilber], in leftist garb, assaults liberty in trying to defend it (narcissistically)--and a pathetic neo-liberalism results in some cases and a facist liberalism in others. 

I too am 'bit' by the deadly liberalism 'bug' and the green meme psychologism of the 'new age' human potential movement that has been the hegemonic matrix of our W. society since WWII. I have long been searching for a political social movement to create, to belong to, to imagine...something Melucci (1989) describes the essence of what I am looking for in a social movement and transdisciplinary inquiry (outside of the 'Fear' Matrix): 

"The submerged networks of social movements are laboratories of experience. New problems and questions are posed. New answers are invented and tested, and reality is perceived and named in different ways." 

****

Note:

1. Fisher, R. M. (2003). Fearless leadership in and out of the 'Fear' Matrix. Unpubl. dissert. Vancouver, BC: The University of British Columbia, pp. 18-19.

Book Title: Philosophy of Unity:Love as an Ultimate Unifier
Author: Michael Bassey Eneyo
Published by: Xlibris, 2019
Reviewed by: Desh Subba

Osho as saying:
"Nations are just man made boundaries, races are stupid discriminations, and
religions are man-manufactured and they are all dividing man against man."

One of the tasks of philosophers is to collect information from different sources
and process them to bring out beautiful insights about the reality of life. We can as
well say that a philosopher is a collector, maker and a distributor of ideas that are
capable of bringing love, development and unity in human society. Pragmatically
speaking, unlike a manufacturer that specializes in a specific area of production as
s/he devotes time, energy and resources to ensure that such production comes out
as a good and appreciative product, a philosopher specializes in the quest for the
ultimate truth about everything in the world. His scope of enquiry is anything that
exists, as well as the inexistent. Philosopher investigates every tiny particle to
know how best such knowledge can help in the making of a better society. There’s
no part of beings; either human or non-human that has not enjoyed at least a dose
of the activities of philosophers. One can justifiably argue that philosophy is that
umbrella which gives coverage to all aspects of enquiry or study: both the
empirical and rational dimensions of knowledge are tinged with philosophy.
Michael Eneyo’s work is a reflection of this undeniable truth. Eneyo in this book
has successfully collected ideas from different sources right from the classical to
the present philosophic expositions and garnish it with many insightful
renovations. He resorted to the study of different fragmented entities such as:
atoms, ants, plants, animals, humans, etc, and then concluded that the apparent
fragmentation and individuation of things in the universe is just an illusion; that
everything is connected to everything else. He is of the opinion that unless
opposites are taken into consideration, enquiry is incomplete.

In one of his quotes he said: "don't desire to acquire so much wealth, but desire
that you live a happy life; true happiness is the greatest wealth."

Yes! Philosophers not only try to know what “is”, they also want to know what
was before creation and what would be after existence. It is always on expanding
scope that covers varieties of things. No wonder most scholars refer to philosophy
as "mother of all discipline"(P4).
It is therefore the character of philosopher to use any available tools in search for
absolute truth. Philosophers never stop at one destination; they look at both front
and back, up and down in search for answers to many barren questions of life. For
a philosopher to accept anything as appealing, desiring, virtuous, justice, etc, s/he
must have reason(s) to support such stance. This attitude of having reason for any
knowledge claim makes some people say that philosophy is the study of “why questions.

” They are always curious about why the thing is the way it is, and then
suggests how it ought to have been.

It is also true that philosophers always search for answers and these answers
always produce new knowledge. One can say that a philosopher is a planter of
knowledge; always curious to plant for others to harvest. Philosophy digs the depth
of knowledge, virtue, justice, nature, hell and heaven and every other thing that is
worth knowing. Michael Eneyo, a philosopher, the fearologist, lovist: is a
philosophical farmer whose duty is to plant knowledge in this field called universe.
The resounding philosophic dictum in most of his works is Love. For him, love is
the ultimate unifier of all fragments and their opposites. To support the above
dictum, he exhibited how different beings such as: animals, birds, human body,
plant, etc, are naturally connected with one another in the universe, which
according to him is predicated on love. He is of the opinion that the universe is
dialectically constituted and that every being is fundamentally guided by some set
of rules (p.25).

In one of his quotes he said: "don't desire to acquire so much wealth, but desire
that you live a happy life; true happiness is the greatest wealth". I agree with him.
From experience, we can see that people try to find happiness in material wealth,
but true happiness is not found in wealth. It can be in the forest, mountains, and
rivers or in nature itself. Happiness is a creation of the “self”; we are the one to
make ourselves happy no matter the situation. If we search for happiness in
politics, in business, in writing or in religion, we may not find it unless we choose
to be happy ourselves. When Socrates went out in search for wisdom among
politicians, authors, businessmen and among the youths of Athens, he couldn't
find it. Wisdom was already inside of him. It is the same way happiness is inside of
us, we only need to bring them out the way Socrates tried to bring out the
knowledge which he claimed was already in everyone.
Again, the author in this work says in another of his dictums that, "there is an
enduring battle between life and death. When life changes it battle ground, the
result is death, and when death changes, we call it life." Everyone is in-between life
and death. This again is very true. Absolutely, life is all about being saved from
death. Throughout our lives, we always try our best to ensure that we save it from death.

Eating, doing exercises, having balance diet, invention of medicines,
engaging in politics, enactment of certain laws, rules and regulations are mostly
associated with our fear of death. We are always in battle between life and death.
When we lose the battle for death, we die and if we win; we live. That is why we
always struggle to be the winner. Eneyo is right! All our struggles in life are
between life and death. Most people are afraid to die that is why they engage in
many activities that can prolong their lives.
Eneyo has cited a thought from Ernest Becker. Becker has said that all human
anxiety is ultimately a manifestation of their fear of death. This assertion is similar
to Eneyo’s. I am personally in agreement with Becker and Eneyo here. To add to
Becker’s assertion; depression, stress, mental problems are also ultimately
manifestations of humans fear of death.
In this book, Eneyo discusses that both the positive and the negative unity are
caused by love. But R. Michael Fisher, one of the renounced fearologists argues
that the kind of cultural unity discussed by Becker is caused by fear of terror; thus,
it cannot be interpreted as unity motivated by love, but Eneyo has successfully
prove his point in the pages of this book. This again depends on the belief or the
perspective Fisher is looking at fear. Fisher's department of specialty is on fear, so
his interpretation, no doubt seems to be influenced by his field of expertise. An
idealist once said to Sartre;"there is a god". He replied, "If there is a god, then
there must be existence". This means that things are necessitated by the
influence of other related things.

Another beautiful presentation of the illusion of division and disunity in this
naturally unified world is well captured when the author cited Osho as saying:
"Nations are just man made boundaries, races are stupid discriminations, and
religions are man-manufactured and they are all dividing man against man". This
is a dynamic approach. In fact it is true; we are now in the universe where human
beings have created for themselves; nations, boundaries, race, and classes. This
idea of division and disintegration is not original to humans. These are the factors
that divide us; thus, turning us into enemies to each other. Even though Osho
seems to have looked at this factor of division from human perspective, I want to

add that other non living factors like: technological machines, pollutions, and
bombs are also dividing us through the way they are used by humans. Though in
the beginning, man invented these facilities for his benefits, after awhile, the
supposedly benefits have evolved into abuse; thus, becoming enemies to man.
That is why Jean Jacques Rousseau says that everything was good in the state of
nature, but everything degenerates in the hands of man. In the state of nature
there was no man-made religion, boundaries, race and class; everything was part
of everything else. This kind of natural unity with a contemporary mindset is what
the book envisioned.

Michael Eneyo’s book on unity is a panacea for mutual cohesion in the
contemporary society that is characterized with all kinds of disunity. Unity is the
best solution to war, violence, conflict etc. I recommend readers to carefully go
through this masterpiece of Michael Eneyo on unity of beings. Not only will it help
you in understanding the international conflicts and how it can be addressed, but
will also help you to understand how to handle domestic violence and conflicts
too. Once we understand the root of war, violence and conflict, we will certainly
have solution for them. The book: Philosophy of Unity is indeed a compendium of
solutions to international and domestic conflict, war, violence and all forms of
civil unrest.

Figure 1  "Fearism" First Coined (in excerpt from an Unpublished book ms by R. Michael Fisher, Sept. 10, 1990)

      HISTORY OF THE COINING OF "FEARISM" 

The newest discovery of the first use of the term "fearism" came the other day while I was searching an old book ms. never completed or published. The date, Sept. 10, 1990, it was entitled Journey Into Fearlessness: Towards a Meta-Service Healing Model" and was part of my first year of writing and publishing on fear and fearlessness post-In Search of Fearlessness Project (1989 - ). The excerpt (Figure 1) makes an interesting claim and choice of words: "Egoism is fearism" (p. 4). I have included here the entire Preface Fisher Meta-Service Healing Model 1990.pdf from which this excerpt comes from, showing my deep connection at the time to understanding the nature and role of fear in the field of human services, of which I and my partner at the time (and co-founder of ISOF Project) were working in the field and researching as young scholars wanting to improve things. This was my third career, after my first in ecological and environmental biology, and second in education. 

Although, in re-reading this Preface (above) it is clear that I was imagining this expansive conceptualization (and theory) of "fear" as "fearism" just like of "ego" as "egoism," there was no further use of the term in my ms. at that time. However, often the text and thinking in this ms. indicates I was using "toxic fear" (amongst other such expressions) and referring to fearism, more or less. Note: Desh Subba's coining of the term "fearism" in 1999 in his literary work and later philosophical work is not quite the same as my early uses. When I connected with Subba in late 2014, just after his book Philosophy of Fearism was published and transl. into English, we then corresponded and I joined my views with his views somewhat to enable the East-West emergence of a "philosophy of fearism" as one philosophy with many branches (see our book in 2016 Philosophy of Fearism: A First East-West Dialogue). Subba and I agreed to use fearism-t (toxic form), to distinguish from his generic coining of the term in 1999, to refer to the earlier pre-Subbaian coining of fearism and what has followed as use by many authors in scholarly work since [1]. 

The history of the coining of "fearism" now needs to be revised with this new 1990 discovery. The history as tracked out in Fisher & Subba (2016), pp. 12, 106, 120-23, 128, needs revision and has some errors. Here is the best information I have now to give the history of its coining in brief summary: 

1990 - (Sept. 10), Fisher (Canada) uses the term in one sentence, linking it with "egoism" and a "toxic fear" formation with ideological overtones in meaning but nothing more is written specifically by him using the term "fearism" again until 1997

1992 - an American political writer (T. Hiss) used it once in The New Yorker magazine article and it was later cited by a scholar (J. K. White in a book 1997, p. 74) (see Fisher & Subba, 2016, p. 12, 153)

1997- Fisher (Canada) used it once referring to it as a "social dis-ease" in his unpublished Spectrum of 'Fear' book ms. 

1999- Subba (Nepal) uses the term in a literary ms. and then develops it into a full-blown philosophy

Note

1. For an inventory of uses of "fearism" by scholars, the latest update is Fisher, R. M. (2017). "Fearism": A critical analysis of uses and discourses in Global Migration Studies. Technical Paper No. 64. Carbondale, IL: In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute. 

This is the latest electoral promo postcard that came to my door yesterday. It doesn't really matter who the politician is, when they are the opposition, you get this kind of depiction (representation) and derrogatory imagery and words (the yellow boxed words especially)-- and, what you see is the use of fear, violence/hurting, terror and demonization tactics used from the "good side" to create the 'enemy.' Even if I would not vote for the part and this leader depicted, here in Alberta, it is not that important to me as the WAY we do politics and campaigns and run governments upon this kind of culture of fear virus spreading tactics. As if this is going to make for a better political government and operations in the capital city where important decisions have to be made and worked through, like any negotiating, like any conflict process, like any 'family' or organization. This all shows me how demeaning and low and afraid both parties are and their leaders and planners of promo materials... they fall into this immature pit of despair and their own terror of 'losing' to the opponent. They use fear to create fear and try to win votes. This is not only immoral on many grounds, it perpetuates the culture of fear dynamic and its oppressive results and casts that upon all the people. There is nothing positively inspirational in governments making campaigns like this and trying to 'win' votes, and it does nothing for building future longevity of parties and leaders nor a stronger and healthier Alberta. But I know this happens everywhere. It really is immature thinking that's gone into this design and tactic. Let's work towards Healing Alberta not creating more wounds, more hurt, more fear and violence. Sanity is still a long ways from our political parties and leadership, sorry to say. Lot's of corrective work and change required! 

Yes, I'll go vote on Tues. in the Alberta election, but I do so with great ambivalence as to why I would vote to support any of the political parties and their leaders in Alberta as they behave in this immature way. I offer my support for all of them to 'grow up' to where they care about real people and care about their role in creating a culture of fear in this province. This is no future, a future of fearmongering, that our children and youth ought to inherit. CITIZENS AGAINST FEARMONGERING is my latest work in the communities in Calgary, as a pilot project through the program call LIFE ENHANCEMENT TRAINING... check in with me if you want to know more about these, and/or see my Youtube Channel, go to "R. Michael Fisher" (L.E.T.) for teaching videos. 

Feel free to share other critiques you have of this kind of visual cultural (advertising) that continues the culture of fear virus. 

[btw, election results are coming in for Alberta this evening Apr. 16/2019 -- Jason Kenny and United Conservative Party appear to have swept the 'majority']

[btw, my lecture topic Apr. 18/2019, my 67th birthday is "Politics & the Meaning of Betrayal"] 

Transformation: A History of Transformation by R. Michael Fisher

Is a new series of teaching videos (on Youtube), as described in my second video: 

Dr. R. Michael Fisher continues this series of teaching videos on the history of transformation, as he weaves together many diverse threads of theories, philosophies, movements and critical thinkers, while sharing his own experiences of transformative dreams, nightmares, experiences with psychosis etc.

Be sure to watch the first History of Transformation 1 to give more context to this 2nd video, but it is also not necessary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wcgf0V-j0I

In this video Dr. Fisher emphasizes how the very nature of "transformation" itself is and has to transform as well. In particular, this is the case because of the inevitable social collapse, with psychic collapse going on as people become aware of what is happening to the world in the early 21st century, with global warming, mass extinction and a future image that is constantly shrinking and threatening everything.

------------

NOTE: I am doing research on transformation itself (as a movement) for a new book in the next 2-3 years... I look forward to this project as it feels like a lot of the historical memory (and even documentation) is disappearing fast and I was fortunate to be right in the middle of this, even though I was in Canada when "transformation" bloomed and is still so critical to us all ... 

NOTE: "In denial" is a code word for "in fear" (terror)... let's face it... then, we begin being part of the "solution" (if there is such a thing; we start the restorations, we start the path of fearlessness)... 

Andrew Harvey a long-haul serious spiritual teacher, along with others like Marianne Williamson, are really starting to take their critical shots big time at so much of the commodified bull shift and narcissism in the "spirituality" that cricles around human potential, pop cult spirituality, and new ageism... I am totally in agreement with their assessment as I have watched this bull shit for 30 years and not been impressed with how they manage fear (by trying to transcend it)--and, get themselves so wrapped up in their own spiritual enlightenment they miss the very disasters under their feet. "Terrifying" says Harvey, now that's what we have to admit to 'turn' (if possible) this all into a much better future outcome than the one this is fast going down now. Welcome to the Fearlessness Movement--a time for true Sacred Warriors. 

AND, for those who want to learn more about the "Deep Adaptation" movement, and facing our collective death and suffering on massive scale with the "inevitable" real collapsing of environment and social systems in the very near future (less than 10 years)... go to a great conversation by David Thorson (of Emerge podcast) with guest Dr. Jem Bendell on "The Meaning of Joy of Inevitable Social Collapse" https://anchor.fm/emerge

BTW, since writing this blog, a bunch more people (e.g., David Suzuki) etc. are coming out with the "collapse" narrative re: the precarious future facing humanity and the earth, to the point where various organizations I see are starting to collect resources to try to help people cope with the dramatic changes and potential suffering and death inevitable--e.g., "Library of Collapse" is one: 

 

 

 

http://www.libraryofcollapse.org/what-is-the-library-of-collapse/#

What is the Library of Collapse?

This Library was established with three distinct purposes.

The first is to be a repository and distribution point of key information that would be useful for surviving and thriving before, during and after societal collapse. To achieve this goal we intend to make our entire site downloadable. Individual knowledge-base PDFs will also be provided on a per-entry basis.

Our second goal is to aggregate important news happening around the world today pertaining to collapse. We will not interpret the news, nor will be selective in our narrative or editorialise. We are here to merely report the facts and allow our readers to form their own opinions.

Our third and final goal, is to be a place of support. Collapse is a scary notion for many, and can drive people towards depression. Our goal is to provide comfort, guidance and perhaps even some hope. We believe that individuals can still change the world.

What topics does the library cover?

The Library of Collapse will cover topics that will prove helpful before, during and after collapse.

We will have resources on preparing your home for natural disasters or intrusion. Writers are already working on a series of sustainable living guides, including micro-farming, alternative energy for your home and much more. Our library also covers important life skills that could make all the difference in a world on the brink of collapse.

We hope that you will find this growing library indispensable as we head into uncertain times.

----------------------------

OF COURSE, I TOO, AS WITH ANY FEAROLOGIST-TYPE, OUGHT TO BE VERY INVOLVED IN THIS MOVEMENT... WE CAN OFFER SOMETHING UNIQUE. 

Greta Thunberg, 16 year old protestor-leader on climate change (2019)- 

A (largely) youth (school) movement has begun with a young woman's protests on the inaction, what she calls all political movements have failed to stop the climate change crisis (re: global warming)... she is being nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize... this is nothing to shrug off... I love hearing youth voices speak out with 'truth to power' that most adults are unable to attain, so it seems. It's political action like hers we have a lot to learn from. To ponder... 

In this speech she says to the world (especially economic leaders): "I don't want your hope.... I want you to panic .... I want you to feel the fear I feel everyday."  

Whoa! That's a quote I won't forget. And of course it is a claim about "fear" and contra "hope" (and a lot more)... this is philosophically and politically an important point to grasp and take in and then also critique... even Greta can learn from what she is speaking about... and, all of us as humanity, as Homo sapiens, as she likes to speak about need to reassess a lot of things we say as adults to youth, and say to them in this time of 'tipping point' cascading crisis on a planetary level. 

I invite Greta and her movement to join the Fearlessness Movement. For my own take on Greta, some months ago, I did a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMKKLXhSG9o

New Video (35 min.)... where I describe how I am stepping up full of inspiration to enter "politics" (i.e., from the perspective of the political sphere, a holistic-integral approach)... 

Entitled: The Great Citizen: Future Process Politics & Learning

[companion video recently: The Great Collapse: How Afraid Should We be?]  Note: my play off the term/concept "The Great" [1] has an intellectual history behind it, important for those readers and viewers who really want to understand where I am coming from. 

New Video- Description: The Great Citizen

Dr. Fisher talks of how he is moving to make a commitment over the next 10 years to enter the political sphere and politics. He shares his experience professionally as a teacher and differentiates that from being an educator (especially, adult educator). He questions and critiques politics and political figures but also supports their differing pieces of the puzzle toward the making of a great citizen, great society, etc. What makes a process philosophy, thinking, person is explored, and he shows his intention to study the history of transformation in the last 100 years especially and how it is essential to understand what is transformation and its role in the political sphere and politics of which he mentions Marianne Williamson as an exemplar for a holistic-integral approach as she is currently running for President of the USA in 2020. Always asking: "What are we learning?" is key to his educational philosophy and thus "learning to learn" is both a meta-cognitive skill but also the basis for a great learner/citizen and it is essential to analyzing the problems and crises we face individually and collectively.

(action still from my video)... 

End Note

1. The first book and stream of intellectual thought on the telling of 'Big Story' narratives per se came from my encounter in the late 70s-early 80s sometime, and reading the little booklet I ordered from the US by eminent Thomas Berry, the self-identified geologian (cultural historian) at the time, entitled "The New Story" (also a recent video has been put together on this work http://thomasberry.org/publications-and-media/the-new-story-1)--and, much later Berry wrote a critically important work to many in the holistic movement called "The Great Work: Our Way Into the Future" (2000) [2]; but the more substantive perennial philosophy work I read sometime in the early 80s was one that was promoted as foundational in the transpersonal philosophy of Ken Wilber at that time, and it is the classic (1936) book "The Great Chain of Being: A study of the History of an Idea" by Authur O. Lovejoy. There was that sense of "The Great" something, historically, evolutionarily and beautifully articulated, as what Wilber later called the "spirit in evolution" basically. And that's all resonant with my own soul and sensing that there is some 'big picture' (a fav. term of Wilber's) going on that I or anyone could learn about and feel there is an alternative view of history (and the future) than what the straight-up historians (and evolutionists in biology) have been and still were (and still are) painting about the nature and destiny of humans, Homo sapiens, and humanity and human nature, etc. The next in the trilogy on "The Great" works that came to me is David C. Korten's (2005), "The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community"--again, much could be said on how important this book and teaching is, and to say the least Korten has attracted a huge following across a lot of different areas, but yes, still within the alternatives movements. To be interested in "transformation" at the core of my process philosophy, politics and education, one has to link these triad or quadrad of influences to my work to make sense of what "transformation" means to me. And with a little research there are others who have their own versions of The Great Turning, e.g., a very important leader, and Buddhist eco-activist, Joanna Macy, https://vimeo.com/191169785 ;

2. "Great Work" (i.e., magnum opus) is a term with spiritual-philosophical rooting that apparently goes back to ancient Hermetic (esoteric) philosophy, at least, as a legacy and tradition of thinking about the reality and future reality that the human and consciousness is participating in, and can shape and can be shaped by. 

Wow... a great teaching video on Love vs. Fear ... this is based on Judaism teachings, but as a cartoon video animation it is fantastic, and has some great wisdom and thinking in it... you don't want to miss this, especially as it shows a "female" figure out-smarting the "male" figures on how each interprets fearmongering in situations that anyone can related to (like the workplace)... I highly recommend this for "Fear Education" curricula anywhere... (albeit, it is in English only, with strong Jewish accents)... go to the article and video: 

https://reformjudaism.org/love-and-fear-what-does-judaism-teach-us-part-2

Here is the pdf for the new journal first issue IJFS vol 1 no 1 2019.pdf

I'd be glad you read this, share it around, write reviews on it and eventually submit articles to another issue (two issues/ yr). 

IJFS Table Contents.png

Dr. Carl Leggo 

Part 0 

Dr. Carl Leggo joined the Fearlessness Movement ning (April 24, 2015) a week or so after I put out to a bunch of people on my birthday (April 18) I had started this FM ning in Jan. 2015--he was the 14th member to sign-up, and 5th academic to do so. He wrote one blog in 2018 on his favorite topic "love" and schools: https://fearlessnessmovement.ning.com/blog/carl-leggo-ruminating-on-love-and-schools

He is a significant Canadian educator-poet, departed from his physical form yesterday morning with lymphoma cancer, and an earlier death than one would like; as he had a lot of poetry left in him but his destiny and body were telling him another story, less poetic, less grand, less fun, and much less limiting than the cheers of the human potential movement and new age rhetorics that incessantly call out, and preach, as they do these days-- you can do anything, be anybody  (and, live young forever).... I don't think so! 

A memorium to Dr. Carl Leggo... mine, but there will be many from his 30 years teaching... so many students and colleagues that loved him and learned from and with him. Let me start spontaneously with my own initial memorium (perhaps, there will be more and some more formal, perhaps not)... I just want to riff here a bit: 

Part 1 

I met him first on UBC campus in his office, led by the contact given me by a professor who said, "You should meet Dr. Leggo?"; the meeting was all upon my initiative going to grad school in Adult Education (a masters) because I was looking for a supervisor for my thesis in the fall of 1998. Expecting good things, he turned me down and said he was already too busy, and he wasn't totally best fit, for what I was into--that is, the study of conflict and its influence in education and society in general. I was going to write a critique is all I knew. How we handled conflict in society I thought really stunk! He didn't disagree but it was not his cup of tea.

Part 2

Carl Leggo (1953-) Carl Leggo is an autobiographical poet who evokes his nostalgic childhood experiences growing up on the now non-existent Lynch’s Lane, Corner Brook. [Newfoundland, Canada].  Heavily influenced by fellow Corner Brook poet, Al Pittman, who Leggo first heard read in 1972, he, like Pittman, believes poetry should represent and narrate the experiences of people in a language that resonates with the heart’s memories. Born to Russell and Kerry Leggo, Leggo worked as a teacher in Newfoundland for nine years during the 1980s, teaching in Roberts’ Arm, Stephenville and Corner Brook. In 1990, he accepted a faculty position as Associate Professor in the Language Education Department at the University of British Columbia, where he teaches classes in communication, writing, education and narrative research at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. [excerpt from http://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/arts/carl-leggo.php]

Part 3

Not always to my liking (I have my critiques), Leggo was (still is) all about bringing "love" into curriculum and pedagogy and graduate research--and love of language into education and life, in the largest sense. A new book dedicated to him and his work was created by some UBC colleagues etc. and his favorite picks--all while he was in cancer treatment--and, just in case he didn't make it. They wanted to honor his years of contribution. I heard about this book from my partner Barbara Bickel, also a doctoral student of Carl's at one point. The new book title: 

Part 4

Leggo was my doctoral co-supervisor (with Karen Meyer) at UBC Education (2000-03). I remember he gave me the bad news I didn't get accepted into the program. I phoned back later and challenged that. I thought I was a perfect candidate. He rethought, and said, okay then. Years later, a fun memory of him asking me to take him to the UBC book store art section and help him buy a bunch of visual art supplies because he wanted to learn to use those materials more with his work and he was so inspired by my art and how I had turned my cubby-hole graduate student office into an art studio for my research. He apparently never did much with all the art supplies, but we had fun buying whatever without caution to how much things cost. That's an artists fantasy... 

Part 5

He was the second (and only seriously interested) academic in the field of Education to endorse and study my first major 'real' book The World's Fearlessness Teachings: A Critical Integral Approach to Fear Management/Education for the 21st Century (Lanham, MD: University Press of America/Rowman & Littlefield, 2010). He made sure UBC Education library had a copy for future teachers. 

Part 6

I kept up email correspondence with him for 15 years after I graduated from UBC. He usually always replied to the writing I was sending him, and always encouraged me. I eventually was angry enough to push him to do more than respond on emails and he decided to take on reading my 2010 book and then riff off from it and explore "Love" and "Fear" more specifically, which he did and published that in 2011 in a Canadian curriculum journal, the piece entitled: "Living Love: Confessions of a fearful teacher." (Leggo 2011 Confessions.pdf). I see he picked this article to include it in his last anthology book: "Storying the World"... There's nothing like a good confession, and I suppose I was looking for it from him all those years of corresponding. He admitted in this article two things: (a) my book was an important book for all educators to read and study, (b) thinking through much of what I was saying in that book impacted him to look more honestly... and, his long pursuit of love, he admits, was motivated mostly by fear, which he had not fully realized until he did this inquiry--which, for me was a collaboration project... a coming full circle where not only he was the mentor for me (and others) but I was the mentor for him (and perhaps others who'll read his confessions article)... For further advice on confessions, e.g., see the big A. A. Blue Book: "Step 4: Make a Fearless Moral Inventory...". 

Part 7

My favorite quote (I subversively recorded) from him came during one of my doctoral research committee meetings, when he jumped into the conversation around my work and blurted out: "It is really terrifying to look at a fearless organization." [meaning, in context, he was saying, it was so contradictory to his entire way of understanding and experiencing most of academic and other institutions in society, to imagine what it would look like to have a fearless organization] (quote cited in my dissertation (p. 6), Fisher, R. M. (2003). Fearless leadership in and out of the 'Fear' Matrix. Unpublished dissertation. Vancouver, BC: The University of British Columbia. During my performative defense of the dissertation, and the first UBC 'outside' reviewer spoke, and castigated my entire dissertation (pretty much), Carl followed with my defense: "Now, [long silent rumination], this is a really complex text." [thanks man!]

Part 8

I got up at 4:30 am and had powerful dreams of being back in the forests of British Columbia. Barbara had a dream with Carl also this night... so, I decided to write this memorial piece and when I went to my filing cabinet what popped out for me was a paper I had written in my doctoral studies years, which in some ways was influenced by my encounters with Carl and one course I took of his on narrative writing/inquiry in research... it stimulated my creative self to stay alive, to keep the artist in my academic work... and, so I'll just let you read these three scanned first pages from a paper I wrote for Dr. Elvi Whittaker, an anthropologist (course instructor for EDCI 572 on Critical Ethnography) in which I wrote fictionally a dialogue, something I love to do, as I wrote to Dr. Michael Taussig (anthropologist) whom I had been reading with some fascination in my doctoral research; but I really wanted to go into a deeper communion with Taussig and his ideas, and about the academy (my critique) as well... here are the three scans... and, for Carl, if you are bored wherever you are, you may want to have a read of these yourself and feel free to send me feedback in a dream... 

"... the ground of imagination is fearlessness."  - D. D. Prima 

I would add to this poetic line, from a powerful women beat poet from the 50-60s who broke out of the 'boxes' and... made a great impression on the world... she is still writing... I would add to her above line "the ground of critical imagination is fearlessness"... because that contradicts the imagination of the masses... and, that is an imagination based on fear -- a fear-based hypnosis that captures the young child's imagination early in life and shapes it and locks it up in a room until it can be totally appropriated and domesticated, just like in many places in India, especially Muslim girls... they are kept locked up once they hit menstruation (puberty) and are domesticated, taken out of school often... especially in the lower castes... and, are made slaves (see documentary film called "Salma")... I think the American poet Prima knows this oppressive way of life, perhaps more subtle in North America than in India, yes, but nonetheless... without the critical imagination essential to the full growth of the soul and true freedom... a society is doomed...  Yeah, to the poets!!!! 

At the end of 2018, you must have evaluated and reevaluated yourself to know your performance appraisal. Since you cannot correct the past but make a new beginning you decided to make a better tomorrow for yourself, thereby saying, in 2019, I will do this and that. A strategic planner ought to have a good To-do list for the year. This list serves as a set-out goal(s). Each of the goals should be guided with policies characterized by cardinal plans. Without that, it will end as a wish.

Now that we have entered the quarter of the year 2019, you ought to know if you are on the right direction. Hence, making a deduction on whatever you do. If you are not doing well, you can restrategize. Although there is no time wallowing in failure, you still have time to succeed perfectly well.
Be guided by time. It is good to make connections but try and maintain your relationship. Do not make too many friends so as not to import those who see your principle or way of life as a pompous character. Those set of people always want you to while away your time in the name of giving them attention.
They don't know that proper attention is given when you have a proper foundation to make ends meet.
You need a supportive friend male and female who share in your positive ideologies.
Be courteous, responsible and responsive in all that you do, knowing fully well that what your critiques and failure are to succeed in the positive direction. The means justifies the end because, as a being in the cosmos, it behooves on you to live and lead your life for tomorrow or repercussion sake.
It is March, where are you matching to in your life? Backward or Forward?

I have been slow in researching the ways females (women) come to understand fear (and fearlessness). I have published a technical paper on the topic in 2013 [1] and I have just recently completed a two part series of FearTalks with a Ph.D. candidate Nicole Rallis and Dr. Barbara Bickel on this topic, including how it relates to women's bodies, feminist spirituality and caring and so I encourage you to check it out: Part 2    Part 1 

Notes:

1. 

Fisher, R. M. (2013). Females and fear: Contributions and challenges. Technical Paper No. 49. Carbondale, IL: In

                    Search of Fearlessness Research Institute.  Tech paper 49.pdf