I offer below an excerpt of a few pages from my new philosophy of education book [1]:
Reference: Fisher, R. M. (2024). The Fear Problematique: Role of philosophy of education in speaking truths to powers in a culture of fear. IAP.
To READ more on this new book, go to: https://fearlessnessmovement.ning.com/blog/the-fear-problematique-fisher-s-new-book
HEY YA'll... I'm excited to share this link with you where I am interviewed by Integral Stage podcast (and Layman Pascal) 2024... as we talk about many things but focus in on the current USA election politics and the past, present and future of Marianne Williamson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9FE5ObwcEs
Piegiacomo Severini, Italy
Dear Desh [Subba], sorry for my very late answer, I don't know why I don't receive Linkedin updates anymore. By the way, my best wishes for this new year!
Everything is still quite new, in both my work and my daily life, yet I'm so motivated and I'm also learning a lot of new things. I have to be patient and wait for the time when I'll know enough for publishing something new. In the meanwhile, I'm slowly finding my Japanese routine, which is great. Hope you're doing well too.
Regarding your book, in these first days of the year I had some free days and so I read your book [Fearmorphosis (I opened Linkedin exactly for writing to you)]. I have to say that to me this is the most consistent book from you, among the ones that you sent to me. Even though it is less extensive than the others (this is a good thing to me, because willing to speak of a too wide topic is always dangerous), finally you present some good argumentations and precise analysis, which justify your ideas and assumptions, while going on with creating this new vocabulary linked to Fearism and a fear-based bias. I think this is the most philosophically rigorous text you have written and I suggest to keep going on with this method even for your future research: in this way, people can better understand and dialogue with your ideas/writings.
Regarding your thesis in the book, I agree with you that fear is a good key for reading the examples that you propose/analyse and I also agree that human existence is not absurd at all. Sadly, I don't have enough time for analysing all the points more in detail.
I have two questions for you.
The first one, is regarding B. Maria Kumar article: do you think it describes your book?
It is a good and informative article, but I feel that he starts from your book for expressing his ideas on freedom rather than simply presenting your book. For example, it is my understanding that the part in which the human being can regain freedom if he/she moves from a fear-centered perspective to a fearless perspective is not present in your book (maybe you just mention this possibility, but I can't find a part where you analyse this explicitly and extensively). Even more, I think that what B. Maria Kumar says somehow rows against your foundamental belief that "fear precedes existence": if we were born free and fear enslaved us afterwards, as B. Maria Kumar is saying, this means that freedom preceeds fear chronologically... But being free means existing, so we come back to the idea that existence precedes fear (rather than yours "fear precedes existence").
Besides this, my second question/point is linked to the previous one: why you didn't develop a fearlessness theory/process out of this appealing analysis of fearmorphism?
I know that professor Fisher wrote something about "fearlessness", but I'm interested in your reinterpretation and in your way of landing to fearlessness after having analysed fear. I need a "pars construens" after the "pars destruens" that reread many philosophers and topics in your previous books. Let's pretend that you have convinced everyone that fear is the power that rules existence: now I'd like you to tell us how we can follow such path for living a better existence (through fearlessness, I guess).
For the rest, I agree basically with B. Maria Kumar's article and probably with you, if you're suggesting that we were born free and it's all about regaining our freedom, or our capability of acting freely and thus living a better existence. Maybe, then, "fear precedes existence" is not fully correct and we should better say that for various natural mechanisms fear tends to influence (or even rule) existence (as we can argue from B. Maria Kumar's article); if this is your aim and all your research on fear aims at promoting a fearless existence that can regain its original freedom, then you have me by your side (and my research really goes in a similar direction).
Note: B. Maria Kumar wrote an article " Opinion: Brewing freedom from fear" in Telangana Today newspaper on 1 December, 2023 about Fearmorphosis book. Author opines his arguments on the basis of that book and article.
Piergiacomo Severini is from Italy. He is Post-doc research Fellow at University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara.
"Fear is beautiful Consciousness" (Desh Subba)
It's my immense pleasure to meet today with An esteemed retired DGP (Director General of Police ).
I'm Thankful to Mr. Desh Subba sir (FearismStudy Center, Dharan, Nepal) for introducing me Mr. Maria B sir.
Desh Subba and Maria B are very knowledgeable, keen, kind and Down to earth personalities.
Desh Subba is the leading Fearism spokesperson in the East, and Co-founder of the Fearism Study Center (Dharan, Nepal, 2009).
Subba has published his first book " Philosophy of Fearism " (2014), He started Fearism as a literary movement in 1999 with fiction and in 2011 with line poetry.in his service subba has achieved International Book Award (2015, Finalist), Dr. Shyam Karki and Indira karki Award in 2015 and National Indie excellence Award (Winner , 2015) and many more.
Mr Maria B who is a honorable retired DGP from Madhya Pradesh, India has gained many achievements during his service. In his service he was deputed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, GOI, in 1996 to Visit British Police establishment, in london to explore the possibility of training collaboration between UK Police and Indian police.
Maria B was honored with Sahitya shree Award, Vidhya vachaspathi , Acharya, and Bharat Basha Bhushan Award, and many more...like Indian Police medal (GOI), president's Police Medal (GOI), Singhast Medal (MP, govt) and Raj Basha Gaurav ( Ministry of Home Affairs, GOI).
Maria B has been contributed and still on going in contributing his knowledge regarding fearism and other aspects which are nation facing issues to the newspapers like Andhra Prabha, Times of India, Telangana today...
Both Maria B and Desh Subba are very actively connected with philosophy of Fearism and have published many books together.
To understand the subject Fearism, we must need to understand what is fear??
Subba has beautifully described fear that "Fear has completely surrounded all living creatures, especially man, all things, natural things, human beings, and invisible things produce fear all the time.
The fearist perspective is a new dimension to look at life and the world. The question strikes the mind, how does the Fearist perspective look at life and the world ?
The purpose behind fearism is to conduct continuous research, investigated invention in order to make life more comfortable.
To understand more about fearism the following books will be helpful which has been published by Desh Subba and Maria B.
1. Philosophy of Fearism by Desh Subba
2. India, A Nation of Fear and Prejudice: Race of the third kind - B Maria Kumar, R. Micheal Fisher and Desh Subba
3. Fear, Law and Criminology- critical Issues in Applying the Philosophy of Fearism- R. Micheal Fisher, Desh Subba, B Maria Kumar
4. Hidden dimensions of Human existence - A fear fearlessness perspective. -R. Michael Fisher, B Maria Kumar
5. Resistance Fearlessness: A Philosophy of Fearism Approach- B Maria Kumar, R. Michael Fisher
6. Philosophy of Fearism: A first East-West dialogue. -R. Michael Fisher, Desh Subba
James Miceli, University of Massachusetts, USA
This article covers my interpretations of the author's work, and discusses the philosophical views presented in "Philosophy of Fearism," by Desh Subba, a Nepali philosopher, poet, and novelist based in Hong Kong. "Philosophy of Fearism," aims to provide a practical means of examining our holistic responses to fear and encourages an independent exploration of fundamental questions about our perception of Fear. The text addresses a wide range of topics and offers unique perspectives on the nature of the world, ultimately presenting our responses to Fear as something to view positively rather than something to run away from.
Why do some words start with a capital letter? (i.e. Being, Fear..): This is a tool used by philosophers to let you know that they’re referring to the philosophical concept, rather than the surface layer material. Fear (capital F) would refer to the concept Subba builds upon, whereas fear (lowercase f) indicates the typical use of a word in our everyday.
Key Points:
About Me:
I am a fourth-year undergraduate student of Clinical Laboratory Science and Philosophy from the University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth and Veteran of the U.S. Army. This review attempts to explicate my personal interpretation of the ideas and discussions presented by Desh Subba to a broader, philosophically inclined audience.
“After all, my greatest pleasure comes from philosophical conversation, even if I’m only a listener...”
-Plato, Symposium
I recently finished the text ‘Philosophy of Fearism’ by Desh Subba, a Nepali philosopher, poet, and novelist currently living with his family in Hong Kong. Subba’s text echoes the early works of existentialist philosophers and journalists, and Subba’s theories are well known for their ability to influence scholars, journalists, and philosophers around the world. His text “Philosophy Of Fearism” (2014), uses its novel viewpoint as a way to challenge the readily available interpretations we’ve all run into on the internet, especially those of misunderstood or potentially undervalued thinkers. His ideas in this book reach into a broad range of topics including bipartisan politics, philosophy, economics, and engineering. His attempt to describe his unique viewpoint on the surrounding world offers novel philosophical perspectives on the nature of the world around us.
While there's a comically large amount of truth to the idea that philosophy is the study of making more questions, the theme of my interpretation suggests that we “start at the very beginning", a very pleasant place to start. Personally, I attempt to answer this question by showing how a word is used in order to better understand it, almost like rules to a game.
By describing fear as the underlying principle behind the coming-into-Being of all Beings-in-the-world, Subba proposes a way to view fear as a driving force, rather than something to run from. Philosophy, and phenomenology (referring to the phenomena of experience) in particular attempt to teach us how to inspect our own lives in an attempt to describe the fundamental experience of simply being present in the world in consideration of the human understanding that we exist to some degree as - as weird as it may sound - “bodies” in a specific location at a certain time, and how the variety in that experience can better inform our understanding of what it means to live a good life, particularly without imposing any meaning or feelings onto that description.
Fearism and Philosophy
Philosophy of Fearism is an attempt to identify fear as something “larger” yet still essentially contained within the self. In an attempt to isolate the essential features of psychological responses to various neurobiological, spiritual, and social factors, Subba offers a practical means for answering this question on our own, rather than limiting it to his own perspective, which is all too common in contemporary philosophical and academic discourse. Consider Thales of Miletus, who "was made fun of by a playful Thracian serving - girl" while he was "gazing upwards while doing astronomy," and "made fun of him for being eager to know the things in the heavens, but failing to notice what was just behind him and right by his feet.” ((11A9) Plato, Theaetetus 174a)
“The story goes that when they were reproaching him for his poverty, supposing that philosophy is useless, he learned from his astronomy that the olive crop would be large. Then, while it was still winter, he obtained a little money and made deposits on all the olive presses both in Miletus and in Chios, and since no one bid against him, he rented them cheaply. When the time came, suddenly many requested the presses all at once, and he rented them out on whatever terms he wished, and so he made a great deal of money. In this way he proved that philosophers can easily be wealthy if they wish, but this is not what they are interested in.”
((11A10) Aristotle, Politics I.11 1259a9 - 18)
Whether or not this is literal advice or not is up for interpretation, but history would be hard-faced to put the Rockefellers on the other side of this argument. Either way, I think that Subba’s view on Fear offers a fascinating view on our responses to things that cause Fear
For myself, Philosophy allows us to encounter and bridge the gap between new and old things alike, and explain our subjective experiences in a way that lets us play life as a metaphorical “tetris” rather than “jenga” - which is to say we should see the new ‘blocks’ we encounter as opportunities to find a perfect spot for them on non - specific principle, rather than the inherited and out of style of trying to leave the bare minimum by taking away from another. In this way, we can begin to see our mistakes as opportunities for growth rather than things to be fearful of.
When things we feel ashamed of can no longer gain control over us, we start to feel realize that it’s all kind of silly when we use them as authentic opportunities to make the cracks in our art into something beautiful, similar to the Japanese concept of Kintsugi mentioned (between the lines) by American Philosopher Elizabeth Woolridge-Grant.
Since Heraclitus, we've known that change is constant (through his logos) If it’s true that we can’t step foot in the same river twice, why do we continue to use old terms for new rivers?
“It is not possible to step twice into the same river. . . . It scatters and again comes together, and approaches and recedes.”
((B91) Plutarch, On the E at Delphi 392b)
“We step into and we do not step into the same rivers. We are and we are not.” ((B49a) Heraclitus Homericus, Homeric Questions)
Why should you stick with Hegel if Foucault suits you better? In Nietzschean terms, Subba takes the view that not every scale on the dragon “thou shalt” has to be rejected, just self - inspected. Subba’s philosophy presents the idea that we can use Fear to better diagnose our collective but independent senses of authentic Being-in-the-world. To Subba, we are able to overcome our response to fear when we are able to help others create their own sense of purpose - else one risks repaying their teacher poorly. (Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra)
Fearism hopes to provide a philosophy that informs us that we are best able to realize our transcendence when the veils of Maya are lifted, and we reason the shadows on the wall cast by pure facts and logic as that of Socrates, rather than the reality that it’s Euthyphro playing Nero’s fiddle. From this newer, more ontological perspective on fear, Subba highlights why we as humans have good reason to be cognizant of the impact that failing to adopt more actionable, humanitarian viewpoints on topics like better living conditions or transportation options, climate change and gender inequality would have on our flourishing.
There’s a reason all roads lead to Rome, and that very analytic circle on the Aristotelian Wheel of Logic is largely attributed to Gaius Octavion, whose successes in establishing a long - lasting empire were largely derived out of his early interchange of culture both into and out of his city. If we want to overcome Fear in our lives, we can also look to Viktor Frankl, for example, who proposes the idea that happiness can only “fall into your lap” as a product of something else, it cannot be acquired as an end in itself. Thus, the pursuit of a personal relation to the world is the pursuit of happiness, and seeing fear as inhibitory impedes on that fundamental and unique ability.
When we instead view Fear as an opportunity to grow, or as a chance to find a place for something new to belong rather than trying to break it, we untether ourselves from the Heideggerian tendency to establish a norm or a “way one does things” based on social structures and based more on an authentic sense of Being-in-the-world that protects not only ourselves, but those around us and within our community. If we want to flourish, not just survive, we have to consider how we treat not only the people that look and act like us, but also create a means for new life and expression to reveal itself to us through the environment around us, which cannot happen if we continue to destroy our planet for temporary gains. Instead, for Subba, the actual way we turn Fear into fearful responses (i.e. so called Gestalt Principles) is something we, at least in part, learn from those around us, and the same is true for our own perception of others. Fearful responses prevent us from seeing our own futures as beautiful and/or worthy of hope or love, so we fail to understand the beauty of things that may be shown to us in new ways.
In what Subba refers to as the “village times”, for example, "seidr" in roman, viking, and pagan religious/shamanic practices would be seen as extremely feminine and shameful for men to practice because it encouraged them to dress up in women’s clothing, even despite the cultural tendency to regularly seek the advice of women in all matters, as documented by Tacitus in Germania, or MPs ‘I’m a Lumberjack’.
Rather than embracing our neighbors in times of change, we too often impose a belief that we cannot work together with our environment or ‘biosphere’ because of perceived differences of those around us, thereby adopting western beliefs in place of longer - lasting concepts like paramatma. We can look to historical figures that challenged these overly violent hero-figures as far back as Hildebrandslied, who fails to grasp the message from his elders that violence does not solve problems, which underlies german culture to this day, shown even through Nietzsche and Goethe, who clearly reaped the benefits of a more appropriate understanding of how we encounter fear. In Will to Power, for example, Nietzsche writes:
“300. (Spring - Fall 1887) Suppressed and effaced heresy in morality.
---- Concepts:
The abandonment of what was seen as “ugly pagan” interpretations of the world was vital in establishing the master - slave morality that Nietzsche associated with the European domination over Europe following the gross and despicable misuse of his and his sisters work by the Nazi party.
Goethe elaborates sightly more on the topic than the posthumously archived WIll to Power that Nietzsche’s sister frantically gathered and attempted to organize from the hoards of notebooks of an increasingly maddening Friedrich, instead expressing these ideas with a bit more prose:
"You are perplexed, my love, by this thousandfold mixed profusion, Flowering tumultuously everywhere over the garden grounds;
So many names you are hearing, but one suppresses another, Echoing barbarously the sound makes in the ear.
Each of their shapes is alike, yet none resembles the other, Thus the whole of the choir points to a secret law,
Points to a holy puzzle. I wish, lovely friend, that I were able to Happily hand you at once the disentangling word!— "
The Metamorphosis of the Plants
The Roman Elegies, for example, likely present an example of what awaits those who are willing to adopt and platform the more “feminine” perspectives Goethe found so abundant in Palermo (where, of note, rules on who could play what roles were much more loosely defined & subsequently outperformed the limited Shakespearean casting of Britain’s culture). This applies to Subba’s concept of Linguistic survival, commenting on our desire to create sentences or phrases that will always be remembered perfectly as a way to ensure we are remembered. In general, we want to ensure we are remembered, but Subba encourages us to ask how often we find ourselves doing the same for others.
When Elisabeth and Friedrich Nietzsche discuss for what is now translated as a 'revaluation of all morals', for example, they don’t advocate for anarchy or violence, as this would cause us to choose what we are told rather than what is right, not only what is pious - and that (to me) is to love and care for the people around you, and to do your best to lend a hand to others where you can. Similarly, Subba uses Fear as a way to show that there's nothing inherently wrong with complying in society, and encourages us to pursue a sort of "eustress" vs "distress".
All too often, we prevent others from sharing new perspectives or ideas because we fail to consider them as having something to offer in the first place. This problem was easily solved in ‘village times’ where new perspectives were vital and brought great potential to the people, who readily worked to understand them.
Subba uses this writing as a socratic investigation of the nature of our experience of fear, showing that actions we take during “fight or flight” responses are not always reflective of our essence as humans. The validity of Subba's arguments are reflected by Republic, for example, which shows that Thrasymachus major failure was that he lacked the self - reflective capacity to accept that other people may have equally valid but different fundamental unique experiences within the same world.
Subba’s view suggests that we consciously adjust our response to Fear through careful self - examination, enabling us to increase our potential for realizing the alleged Nietzschean ubermensch - after all, the Last Man is most often the one pulled from the herd. (Thus Spoke Zarathustra)
According to Subba’s philosophy, consciousness lets us select certain things out of the foreground that have to be reached out into, rather than leaving the human experience up to symbols pasted onto background states, waiting to be recognized.
Subba writes that, although we associate some things we encounter in our life - like animals or weapons as causative agents of fear, fearfulness, in reality, arises out of an error in our own ability to comprehend new concepts, for which we feel reflects on our sense of competency in society. The reason someone purchases them, in my experience, is because they are afraid of his own weakness and thereby attempts to respond by inducing fear without cause, which, in reality, is just anxiety (according to Heidegger). The way we turn Fear into fearful responses (i.e. so called Gestalt Principles) is something we, at least in large part, learn from those around us, and the same is true for our perception onto others. When we act in ways that cause harm to others or ours, be it actively or passively, we isolate ourselves by encouraging fear in place of discussion. The risk we run into is the exclusion of many perspectives that, at a minimum, are worthy of consideration.
Overly Fearful responses prevent us from seeing new things or ideas as beautiful and potentially worthy of consideration, preventing us from seeing the world authentically and developing a personal relation with an environment that encourages the growth of all life forms. We prevent the development of not just others but also ourselves when we shame or “other” the people around us who are attempting to learn or reintegrate into society by inserting their own sense of “how one does things” onto another's, thereby treading on their autonomy. Similarly, Sun Tzu might highlight the power in keeping people from investigating their own personal forms or identities. Marcus Aurelius also writes that “the soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.” For Subba, we should consider the view of Fear as a source of color in the life project of becoming the "purple thread in the long white toga." (Epictetus).
It is one thing to overcome yourself, but can you help others overcome theirs, even if it causes Fear?
For more information on his philosophy, Subba’s other works, such as Trans - Philosophism (2021) and Fearmorphosis (2023) which discuss these ideas further, and highlight the need for contribution from post WWII - era existential phenomenological perspectives, especially those wishing to study complex and challenging topics like embodiment and free will. As always, Philosophy is - to me - a home for discussion about anything and everything, and phenomenology is a field which seeks to understand and preserve the viewpoints and perspectives of others and ourselves in the most genuine ways possible; Subba’s work highlights the value in learning from, rather than simply ignoring or rejecting, the philosophical mockingbird that is Fear.
[James Micell Published this article on his Linked In page. He permitted to republish her on the Fearlessness Movement ning -DS].
Om Prakash Pokhrel
Assistant Professor, Gyanpeeth Degree College, Baksa, Assam, India
Abstract: The present paper aims to study the short stories of Arupa Patangia Kalita from a very new perspective in literary theory that is ‘The Philosophy of Fearism’, a first east - west dialogue, an emerging philosophy that deals basically with the issues of fear in human life. Arupa Kalita’s stories highlight her concern about ecology, social issues and the traumatic conflicts in human life; nonetheless, we can delineate her philosophical visions of Fearism in her portrayal of characters. The characters go through fearmorphosis, they are being watched by panopticans and sometimes scapegoat the innocent people, even the Nature with modern weapons and gun powder. Subba asserts that fear is terminator as it owns power of all power; Arupa kalita’s stories can also be interpreted with this perspective because the characters are found to be a fear Sisyphus, always under the multiple eyes or lenses of fear.
Keywords: Fearism, fearmorphosis, scapegoat, panopticans, fear sisyphus. . . etc
1. Aims and Objectives
This paper attempts to delineate the elements of Fearism immanent in the select short stories of Arupa Patangia Kalita, especially with regard to finding the philosophy of Fearism in literature.
2. Methodology
A systematic study of short stories from the collection "Written in Tears‟ has been undertaken. As secondary sources dealing with the theory of Fearism different research articles, journals, books, and interviews have been referred to.
3. Introduction
Fearism is a self declared existentialist philosophy founded by Desh Subba in 1999. It is a unique but mostly an eastern than western philosophy, emerged as a new critical theory in 2005 when it was first mentioned in Tapu Magazine published in Hong kong. Desh Subba, a Nepali contemporary philosopher, writer, poet, critic born in Dharan, Nepal and now lives in Hong Kong is considered as the founder of this new philosophy of Fearism. His self - published book "Philosophy of Fearism‟ (2014) depicts fear as a major and natural part of human life. “Bhayabad” is the Napali term for the Philosophy of Fearism, which was translated by Desh Subba into English for the Global society.
Fearism is that first consciousness of living which govern us in every phase of life. When we have a close look at our live, society or civilization, we are always haunted with the idea of fear at different level in different degree. Since the beginning of human civilization till today, no matter how much the progress in terms of science and technology to protect human being, has been done, the deep rooted fear has always affected humanity. We use everything for our safety purposes to make sure that we minimize fear but somewhere in the corner of the heart the looming fear destabilizes our peace of mind. The locks, passwords, security codes, alarms, CCTV, health care, Insurances, policies and so on are all results of the fear in us. These establishments are meant to minimize our fear, nevertheless, it still irks. Human being always have the fear of death, fear of loss, fear of disease, fear of society, fear of law, etc and this fear governs and controls every moment of life. Thus, fearism argues that “life is conducted, directed and controlled by the fear” (subba, 2014)
Beginning of Fearism:
Desh Subba says -
” The beginning of "Philosophy of Fearism‟ can be said to be accidentally emerged. In 1999, I prepared a novel entitled "Ujad‟ (desolate). A friend of mine Sharan Subba after reading the manuscript, he underlined the word "Bhayabad‟ with a red ink. I thought of it deeply for a quite a long time about the word. "This can be different‟ I pondered. ” (2018, subba) Subba means to say that this revolutionary term got a new dimension with his Brother Sharan Subba‟s kaleidoscopic observation on the term. Subba began to widen his thought on the term and kept ruminating over it with his friends resulting the most dominating philosophy of the 21st century with the publication of the Tapu Magazine published from Hong Kong in 2005. Thus, Nepal has made this place a "workmanship of a new philosophy‟ with a new vision of fearism. (subba, 2018). Hong Kong happened to be a new hub for the germination of this new idea and the visionaries and followers of different strata had choosen Prof. Dr. Tanka Prasad Neupane, a Nepali scholar as the first installed chairman of the "Fearism Study Centre‟ In Hong Kong. This study centre is committed to award "Tilmati Fearism Award‟ to an author who expands the horizon of the philosophy of fearism, to authenticate it Subba has mentioned the scholars namely Rana Kafle of Assam, India and Rajendra Guragain of Nepal, B Maria Kumar of India and Osinakachi Akuma Kalu of Nigeria for his book titled "The First Stage of the Fearologist”. (subba, 2018, 2 sept.) The Fearologist Institute, Calgary Canada was founded by R. Michael Fisher to promote the fearism studies.
Deconstructing Fear:
Jaques Derrida in his "Of Grammatology‟ (1967) introduced the concept of "deconstruction‟ to reject the notion of „structuralism‟ given by Ferdinand de Saussure. Derrida points out that the meaning is unstable not fixed and it is always "differ‟ or "defer‟ to another level for the playfulness nature of language. Desh Subba (co - author) in the book "Eco - Fearism‟ (2020) attempts to deconstruct the meaning of fearism to interpret the underlying multilayered meaning of the term. If we make an observation on the very term "fearism‟ in the past before "fearism thinkers‟, it is pertinent that in the past, thinkers, authors, spiritual leaders or typical Gurus had interpreted fear as a negative emotion or unpleasant feeling. Even some psychologist and motivational speakers were engaged in exaggerating its unfair impact on mankind merely for their own benefits without focusing much on its positive aspects. Fear, according to Subba, is very beautiful and positive consciousness of the world.
“Fear is a very similar (generally unpleasant) feeling (like anxiety) that arises as a normal response to realistic (or imagined) danger or threat. . . If you are rigidly attached to believing that fear is an emotion controlled by the amygdale of the brain (e. g. Le Doux, 1994), your scientifically - biased view will be challenged,. . ” (Subba, 2020)
Human civilization started with the concept of fear, primitive human being invented stone weapons to protect themselves, tree barks as a protection for the fear of cold and since then and till today fear is the basic to everything. Prof. Dr. Sanjeev Upreti Writes:
If we on peeling the layers of an onion, new layers appear and there remain void at last. Meanings are also like solid things –they have existence till a certain period. Gradually, original meanings become extinct and new ones start. The meaning of fear is also the same. We fear due to the meaning that we have heard, understood, and known. (subba, 2020)
Derrida used binary oppositions to clarify meaning of certain thing, but according to fearism binary opposition is insufficient in interpreting the meaning of fear as Subba said fear has tripartite opposition, he states -
“The constitution, law and order, government, police, and court all have been established for peace, happiness, and prosperity. In the absence of these, people fear murder, violence, theft, and robbery. Therefore, fear has tripartite opposition. ” (Adhikari, Akuma, Subba, 2020)
Recognizing Fearism:
Fearism with its foundation in 1999 as "Bhayabad‟ is able to attract many followers from different parts of the world. The book "Philosophy of Fearism‟ with its publication in 2014 consolidated a foundation on a new discourse in intellectual as well as literary world, and perhaps for its realistic applicability in human life the book won 5 International Book Awards in 2015 from USA. Thus, the followers of Fearism Movement are increasing and Africa has got the highest in number. The reason for the increasing followers from Africa could be the fear of war, violence, and starvation that is prevalent in African countries. It can also be said that fearism might have its impact in the North - Eastern Parts of India since it was once under the grim clutches of insurgency, violence and racism.
There are so many books written and published by different authors across the globe as a testimony to prove that the Fearism is really an emerging philosophy. Canadian author, Michael Fisher, Nigerian authors Osinakachi Akuma Kalu and Michael Bassey Eneyo, have already published books on Fearism, Indian authors B. Maria Kumar and B. S. Susmita have recently written the book ‟The Youth Dont Cry‟, (2018) is a critical commentary on the youth about their fears. “Philosophy of Fearism" - a First East - West Dialogue” (2016) authored by R. Michael Fisher and Desh Subba takes a specific focus on this philosophy pioneered by Subba from the east and Fisher from the west. A recently published book "Eco Fearism‟ (2020) co - authored by Bhawani Shankar Adhikari, Osinakachi Akuma Kalu and Desh Subba plungs into a profound analysis, prospects and burning issues of fearism to eco - fearism.
Eco - Fearism:
Eco - Fearism, a very new term was firstly coined by Dr. R. Michael Fisher in his technical paper 68 (Fisher, 2017). Fisher has presented the concept to illustrate Eco - Philosophy of fearism and Eco - Criticism which deals with eco - crisis philosophically as well scientifically. Eco - Fearism aims to generate a positive fear about the ecological global crisis in the heart of every human being. Fearism can be vocal in handling eco - crisis philosophically and scientifically because the rationality of the human being can direct them towards positivity that can help save the environment. The book Eco - Fearism –prospects and Burning Issues „co - authored by Bhawani Shankar Adhikary, Osinakachi Akama kalu, Desh Subba, (2020), talks about the formula of eco - fearism which states:
“I use life - consciousness - knowledge - Fearism, normally as theory in philosophy of Fearism. This theory can be applied any where looking its requirements. Now, Eco - crisis requires it. So, it is better to apply here. (2020).
Fearmorphosis:
Desh Subba has used the term Fearmorphosis in his book “Fearmorphosis‟ – Man is a fear Sisyphus being watched by panopticons” (2023) to deal with his philosophy of Fearism which carried forward the issues and ideas underlying the emotion of fear. Subba refers to the different kinds of myth, for example Sisyphus, the panopticon, the scapegoat, Das capital, and Metamorphosis as the most powerful driving forces for humanity. But Subba has tried to rewrite history, culture, politics, literature and philosophy through a systematic criticism of Sysiphus, the panoptican, and the scapegoat point of view.
Among a number of analytical perspectives, it focuses on classic existential literary teaching stories, like Metamorphosis, the Myth of Sisyphus, and No Exit from a new Fearmorphosis lens. (Subba, 2023).
4. Textual Analysis
The North - East region, geographically a place of hills and rivers, store house of tribes and ethnic groups, situated in the extreme corner of the map enjoys its special identity. Since the region is diverse in its manifestation of unique distinctive cultural traits, the literary activities of the writers of the region have beautifully demonstrated all these in their respective works. The writers from the region are found vocal in dealing with the heterogeneous modes of expression with their themes like ecology, trauma, conflicts, insurgency, violence, social issues, religious and cultural traits. . . etc as found reflected in the literature. Writers from the peripheries, however selective, are able to draw the attention of the mainstreams by breaking the rigid boundaries of their society. One of the most unexplored themes, seldom taken by any research scholar till now is the theme of Fearism in the North - East literature. Desh Subba, writing from Hong Kong inaugurated a new way of looking at the literature with a perspective of fearism that is deeply engrafted in every aspect of human world.
The writers from North - East India like Indira Goswami, Mamang Dai, Robin S. Ngangan, Temsula Ao, Mona Zote, L. Chandte, R. K. Madhubir, Indira Goswami, Mitra Phukan, Janice Patriat, Arupa Patangia Kalita have demonstrated the multifaceted ingenuity in their writing and the „cry‟ from the north - eastern region is no more inaudible in main lands. Fearism is a theory that can be applied to any aspects of human life and therefore, literature has proven the fact.
Among so many other writers, one of the most vocal from Assam is Arupa Patangia Kalita who has a good number of works to her credit. She is one of the leading voices in contemporary Assamese literature who won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2014. The stories in the collection to her credit vividly demonstrate the ongoing agitations and violence of indigenous people which leave a deep impact on the nature and the environment for polluting and spilling of innocent blood in the peaceful region. The beautiful region that was so dear and integral part of these indigenous people is no more the same since the agitators have exploited it to turn it into a place of violence and conflict. Arupa Kalita has articulated the theme of fearism emerged as a result of insurgency in her story collection and a good number of the stories are set at the backdrop of Assam Agitation. Assam has a very terrible history of militancy arising from various socio - political - economic aspects which aim to segregate themselves from main stream. Writers of different class have witnessed the evolving uprising from the very near and have made efforts to respond by producing works of impression to record those experiences.
Arupa Patangia Kalita's story collection ‟Written in Tears‟ (2015), which contains six stories, can be best read applying the theory of Fearism. In one of the stories, titled "The Half Burnt Bus at Midnight‟ narrates the terrible story of a bus entering the town at midnight that was set ablaze by a group of insurgents. Arupa Kalita tries to express her concern that violence and agitations were the daily activities those days in Assam and common people have to live their life under the fear looming always over them. „
'So the people remain fearful - like cattle after escaping from a burnt - down shed and now so scared as to fear even the hint of a red cloud. So they prick their ears instantly even if the sound of bursting crackers comes from a wedding party arriving at the bride‟s house. ' (Kalita, 2020)
The common people of the village always had a fear of being a victim of the insurgency; at the same time they were to counter the Armies who came into the village in a search operation. In Desh Subba‟s Fearism the Fear is primary, and others are secondary. Thus, the characters in the story Terrorists, Armies, or the innocent village folk are all affected by fear and the mechanism to minimize fear was the major concern according to Subba.
The story "Ayengla of the Blue Hills‟ also narrates the similar connection of characters with nature, Ayengla is a happy woman who lives amidst the blue hills with her husband, two children, paddy fields, with pigs and chickens. It shows her love and attachment with the ecology but at the same time ecofear is a matter concern for her. Ayengla is so distressed to know that the people in the jungle have planted a landmine to attack the Army patrolling group.
'Last month, an army truck had just turned around a bend in the hills when a landmine planted by those in the jungle had blown it to smithereens. ' (Kalita, 2020)
The bloodshed and the devastation caused on both mankind and nature is the reason of her fear in the story which is beyond her understanding that left her with sleepless nights. After the bomb blast villagers barely stepped out of their house and the harvest and the gardens were all empty with no attention. Subba, as stated in his "Eco - Fearism‟ - prospects & burning issues (2020) the character Ayengla is more concerned about eco - crisis and therefore, she fears the landmine blast in the hills. According to Subba –
“Central task of eco - Fearism is to do theoretical analysis to eco - troubles. The entire troubles path goes to Fearism. ‟ (2020, Eco Fearism, p - 47)
The story "The Girl with Long Hair‟ narrates about an indigenous tribal girl Mainao who is the product of her tribal culture and traditions. She is a cheerful girl with her small twinkling eyes and rounded limbs taunt with the sun and rain and she loves to be in close connection with the nature around her. Mainao is so attached to the soil, a happy–go - lucky girl but she is always under a grip of fear which does not have the liberty to enjoy her blooming days as the restrictions are imposed on her by the terrorist organisations living in the forest.
„The boys engaged in the andolan announced the ban and warned that those who defied it would be punished. Their word was law‟ (2020, p - 11)
Mainao is basically a happy - go - lucky girl she doesn‟t remain remorse during Durga puja festival, and enjoys it to the fullest even if there is a restriction from the agitators hiding in the forest nevertheless, a fear of being the target can‟t be ignored. According to Subba there are some fear factors or fear agents responsible for triggering fear in human being.
"They are simply known as objects of fear or fear factors. They are the agents responsible for triggering fear. ‟ (2020, p - 6)
For Mainao the fear factors could be the people residing in the forest giving the orders of ban, or the Army forces patrolling in the villages who might interrogate her for providing food stuff or asylum. Mainao is seen caught in fear dilemma whether to defy the ban or to overcome the fear and plunge into the mission of joining her friends to celebrate the Durga puja.
Another story "Arunima‟s Motherland‟ narrates how a mother goes through series of trauma and fear just because her son joined the underground organization. A wedding engagement of a daughter of the family was broken, a bomb was hurled into the house, the villagers always neglected and the mental agony piled up every moment in their life. Arupa Kalita gives a very vivid narration how the fear of being annihilated in the locality disturbed Arunima, her mother - in - law, father - in - law, and other members of the family. The fear of losing her son always destabilises her so she kept on asking others about the news of her son which she anticipates, might be a blow to her.
"What‟s happened? Have they arrested Rupam ? She was smiling.
No, it‟s about something else, ‟ she replied. „Something else? What happened has the other one died?‟ „I don‟t know, ‟ her face reddened as she retorted. (2015, p - 28)
The story "Surabhi Barua and the Rhythm of Hooves‟ narrates how the people who opposed the Assam movement were harassed by the agitators. Surabhi Barua who is a professor in a College had to go through insults by her own students of the college for writing articles against this agitation. She always feared to face the slogans shouted against her; the fear was so vehement that other colleagues advised her to go on leave for few days. ” The Principal advised Surabhi Barua to take a few days‟ leave. . . . (P - 196)
The story ‟Kunu's Mother' shows how a woman without the support of a man in the family has to live amidst alarming fear. After the death of her husband, Kunu‟s mother always felt a kind of insecure because she has a young daughter very attractive and beautiful. A young man, from a militant outfit snared by her enticing beauty, starts to woo her which is the central reason of Fear in the story. According to Subba, Philosophy of Fearism teaches the solution to the problems of life. Subba believes that man must learn to minimize the amount of fear and moderate fear can solve the problem. Here, in the story Kunu‟s Mother does not lose her temper due to the excessive fear of her problem rather she curbs it and looks for a solution by sending her daughter to some distance places so that her daughter continues further studies. "My aunt‟s sons have their own electrical repair shop. They have their own house, not like ours. . . you won‟t have any problem. My aunt will take care of you‟. (P - 176)
Albert Camus "The Myth of Sisyphus‟ (1942) describes about Fear but not to the extent of fearist thinkers because the myth says life is absurd where as the fearist likes to affirm the meaning in life. The fearmorphosis varies with prior ideas, like deconstruction and metamorphosis fear does not have a fixed and distinct feature. Desh subba, with his fearist theory, asserts that the human being must be out of this absurd position. ” I submit that a fearist generalization, is that the human must be free from this particular form of a victim idea and absurd position” (subba, 2023).
In the prescribed Short stories by Arupa Patangia Kalita the characters are the victims of fearmorphosis, every character is a fear Sisyphus in some sense being watched by „Panopticans‟ (Bentham). They always look at the boulder of Sysiphus which may fall on them in any form like the agitation, killings, bombing or being exploited by the Armies.
In "The Half Burnt Bus at Midnight‟ the people of the village have seen a burning bus rolling down towards them like the Sysiphus, Ayengla in the Blue hills is disturbed because the ecology, the blue hills are being destroyed by the terrorists with the gun powder, and bombs so, the ecoFearism is an issue for her. The whole nature has been "scapegoated‟ for human benefit, thus, Subba says - Heavenly Earth became Hell by our doing‟. (Subba, 23, VII) Mainao, a young and attractive tribal girl is under a threat for violating the "commandments‟ of the banned outfit. She is under a mental tussle cannot enjoy the freedom of her life, like participating in Durga Puja procession, so, always fearing for the expected debacle that might fall on her because of those foul elements. "Suravi‟ cannot continue her job in the college, gets the ultimatum, and runs away from the field for the fear of her life. Even the Principal of her college is a fear Sisyphus being watched by the agitator in the form of „Panoptican‟. „Kunu‟ and her mother faces the unending atrocities, always feared the consequences if she is not married to that young member of terrorist who is after Kanu so; the family is just a "scapegoat‟.
5. Conclusion
Arupa Kalita's Short stories highlights the theme of philosophy of Fearism which is the "power of all power‟. (subba, 23). According to, him fear is a terminator and it segregates all other weaker emotions to take a lead. The characters in the stories are somehow affected by fearism and for being watched by panopticans they sometimes remain united into one structure to minimize the fear. The profounder and the believer of the theory of Fearism argue that we have to learn to “fly with the term fear” and to bring it to life to bear new fruits. Arupa Patangia Kalita‟s stories have depth that explore multi themes including fearism, and a systematic and scientific study on her writings from a new perspective like Philosophy of Fearism can bring into light the unexplored aspects of literature, hopefully, helpful for the new research scholar in the coming days.
Note: This article was published in under given journal. With the permission of author and convence for reader, I published.
Paper ID: SR231121191911 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR231121191911 1550 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) ISSN: 2319-7064 SJIF (2022): 7.942 Volume 12 Issue 11, November 2023 www.ijsr.net Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
References
[1] Fisher, R. M. (2017). Eco - Philosophy of Fearism and Ecocriticism: In an Age of Terror. Technical paper, 68, Fearlessness Research Institute, Canada.
[2] Kalita, A. P. (2020). the loneliness of hira barua. New Delhi: Macmillan.
[3] Kalita, A. P. (2015). Written in Tears, translated by Ranjita Biswas. New Delhi: HARPERPERENNIAL.
[4] R. M. Fisher. (2022). Philosophy of Fearism. Xlibris.
[5] Rai, N. (2018, 2 September). "Philosophy of Fearism" is a unique Philosophy. Naya Patrika, Daily, Kathmandu, Nepal.
[6] Subba, D. (2023, 08/08/2023). FEARMORPHOSIS - Man is a fear Sisyphus being watched by Panopticans. Australia: Xlibris.
[7] Subba, D. (2014). Philosophy of Fearism: Life is conducted, Directed and Controlled by the fear. Xlibris.
[8] A. O. Kalu. (2017). The First Stage of the Fearologist. CrateSpace publishers.
[9] Camus, A. (1955). The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays. Vintage Books.
Let's Make the Fearlessness Movement Ning Grow and Strengthen in 2024
Hello All Fearlessness Movement ning members. As the year 2023 winds down and 2024 horizon can be seen now, it is a good time to get honest and speak truths. I have my own biases about what is the most important phenomenon going on globally, which is top position in terms of quick and deadly impacts. I am speaking about the political scene. On behalf of the need to awaken from the paralyzation of most of us from ongoing onslaughts of fear/terror/anxiety, I am convinced we have alternatives, and the path of fearlessness is a viable 'fear' vaccine that can be adopted and nourished. Let's work together to organize and grow this Fearlessness Movement. Pass around to your friends the link of this website, share it on your social media and make your endorsements if you feel called. [contact me to help out: r.michaelfisher52 [at] gmail.com
We can increase our membership and activities here and in your neighborhoods, but we have to attract more members to gain momentum. Currently the 2023 year is ending with 146 FM ning members and this number has remained roughly about the same all year long, with slow increases, and some leaving etc. As founder and host of the FM ning, I pay $330/ year for us to have this online community presence. I'd like help to pay for that and I'd like a whole lot more people to post here and create energy of ideas and actions to make the world a better place using a unique set of frameworks in which to do that--of which, our improved learning about fear and fearlessness is core and central and essential. I am not interested in adding to the Fear Problem by acting in ways that are not based in fearlessness as the objective below and motivating the good changes we want.
Let's Not Ignore the Real Development of World Politics
I thought to copy an excerpt from a very good article on the threats of authoritarian populism (mostly far right wing, but also some left wing) in the political sphere. This excerpt by a reliable source at the organization "Othering & Belonging Institute" out of UC Berkeley, is published by Democracy & Belonging Forum, Dec. 20, 2023. Take a special note of the paragraph summary that speaks of the zeitgeist and potency of fear and anger feeding each other to drive the populism into a frenzy and effective dominant force on this planet. Enjoy reading, and let's talk about this and other topics related in 2024.
by Míriam Juan-Torres (December 20, 2023)
Connecting the Dots #17
The year 2023 has been full of violence. Civilian deaths continue to rise in Gaza and Ukraine. The horrors of the Hamas attacks against Israeli civilians are ongoing. It took a day for Azerbaijan to seize Nagorno-Karabakh and displace thousands of Armenians, while at the same time the humanitarian crisis in Sudan continues to deteriorate under the radar. And these are only a few examples.
Violence does not only come in the form of war though.
And as the year comes to an end and I try to reflect on the months passed, I sometimes wonder if, as I am constantly steeped in research on authoritarian populism, my perspective is too clouded by the negatives. Yet no matter where I look, whether it’s in international news, progressive spaces, or far-right forums, the pervasive sensation I observe is usually a combination of anxiety, fear, and anger. But again, is this new or worse? When has the world been fair? When have we inhabited a planet where all belong?
Yet some dare to dream outrageous dreams and their dreams come true. In November, far-right leader Geert Wilders’ electoral victory in the Netherlands and Javier Milei’s in Argentina caught many by surprise. Wilders is a politician with more than 20 years of political experience who only a few years ago was convicted for hate speech and continues to run an explicitly Islamophobic campaign (for more on the plethora of Dutch populist parties see here). Javier Milei is a political newcomer who runs on an anarchocapitalist platform and applauds the Argentinian dictatorship, idolizes guns, and challenges women’s rights.
Wilders and Milei are not the only authoritarian populists who recently came to power through free and fair elections. Italy’s Giorgia Meloni is the most notorious of the bunch and, if I am not mistaken she was the first female authoritarian populist to become prime minister ever (she was elected in late 2022). In Slovakia, far-right politician Robert Fico returned to power by centering anti-Ukrainian sentiment, after having resigned in 2018 during his second term following the murder of Ján Kuciak, an investigative reporter, and his fiancee, Martina Kušnírová. Still, despite how his last term ended, he now intends to restrict media freedom.
All of them and many others believed that their big bets could yield results. And they did.
Dreaming big, however, takes courage. And while authoritarian populists such as Wilders and Milei, Meloni, and Fico seem to have courage aplenty, the lesson that mainstream politicians are drawing is that the only way to combat the surge of authoritarian populism is to adopt their frames. The President of the European People’s Party at the EU Parliament (the EPP is the center-right, pro-European political party which gathers over 83 parties from 44 countries), Manfred Weber, recently made this evident during some of his first remarks on the back of Geert Wilders’ victory by concluding that adopting the far-rights’ postures on immigration is the only way to prevent the rise of the far right. There’s no alternative vision, no inclusive dream.
The constant whitewashing of Meloni’s image by EU leaders and the media also reflects how as long as authoritarian populist leaders keep in line with economics and foreign policy, the rest of Europe can turn a blind eye to whatever happens in “internal politics.”
To me, this mostly demonstrates one of the biggest threats to democracy and human rights in Europe—the collusion, the blending, the normalization, and the incorporation of authoritarian populist ideas and actors into the mainstream. The branding of those ideas as the only solution to complex challenges. The alternative to rejecting authoritarian populism frames is not to say that there are no problems, that migration is not a relevant issue, that people aren't struggling, that fear is unreasonable. Or to delegitimize voters who vote for far-right candidates. But presenting the far-rights’ solutions as the only reasonable options shows at best a failure of imagination and at worst a cynical lack of commitment to justice and human rights.
The year 2024 will be a definitive year on many fronts.
We are less than three months away from Super Tuesday in the United States of America, when Donald Trump will likely win the nomination as the Republican candidate. The November 2024 US general elections could very well yield a victory for Trump, and historical examples show us that a second term by an authoritarian populist is far more dangerous, as they come equipped with lessons from their first term and can double down on their authoritarian practices. Some, like historian Robert Kagan, have been keen to emphasize that a Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable. In the meantime, across the US, Republican governors continue to (ab)use preemptive laws to circumscribe what cities and counties can do, targeting abortion, and LGBTQ and voting rights, often in majority-minority localities.
European Parliament elections are scheduled for June 2024. Turnout at EU elections across the continent is notoriously low, yet historically they are the elections where the far right have had some success while failing nationally. Albeit in the past they didn’t have enough representation to wield significant power, their presence at the EU Parliament provided a platform for far-right leaders like British Nigel Farage to deliver attention-grabbing performances. While their national results are clearly shifting, far-right candidates are also projected to have record-high results in the upcoming EU election. The largest group is still projected to be the European People’s Party, which in the past generally adopted a cordon sanitaire approach to far-right parties (a joint agreement to refuse to cooperate with the far right), but now is increasingly coalescing with it.
For the first time, the possibility of a far-right-dominated European Union seems very real.
This would have severe implications for European citizens, as several big reforms will be underway during the new year. While the green transition continues, authoritarian populists and center-right populists are increasingly challenging green policies. Elected officials across Europe aim to conclude a migration pact in 2024, and unfortunately it seems we can only expect further securitization and outsourcing of state violence and border management to third party states that are often authoritarian. And I am also keeping an eye on a new EU Defence of Democracy package. The draft proposal has been advanced with the goal of trumping foreign influence of lobbying groups, but includes provisions affecting civil society organizations as well. According to Transparency International, the “demand for civil society organisations to disclose foreign funding risks designating them as foreign agents, which could expose civil society to unwarranted and perilous stigmatisation.” We have seen in Russia, India, Hungary, and Italy how the targeting of NGOs and attempts to limit their international funding is amongst the first authoritarian practices of elected far-right leaders.
Even though the results are predictable, the coming year will also see presidential elections in Russia, where around 110 million will be able to vote, including, for the first time, parts of Ukraine under the control of Russian forces (it seems like a good time to bring back to memory the statements of the Kremlin’s spokesperson: “Our presidential election is not really democracy, it is costly bureaucracy [...] Mr. Putin will be re-elected next year with more than 90 percent of the vote.”)
India is also expected to celebrate general elections in 2024 and Prime Minister Narendra Modhi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to reign supreme, and thus expected to continue its persecution of journalists and Muslims while cracking down on civil liberties.
That being said, while the playing field is extremely uneven in Russia, in India, PM Modi seems to boast unprecedented levels of approval for prime ministers who are officially elected, raising the question of how – as people committed both to belonging and democracy – we confront the authoritarian lurch of democratically elected and widely supported authoritarian populists leaders, a question that is likely to become more and more important.
Nonetheless, I also have hopes for 2024.
This year will be the year of a new government in Poland. After a long road, Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government was sworn in on December 13. Tusk will be able to govern thanks to a coalition that includes moderate center-right politicians as well as progressives, and has stated that “his government would focus on restoring the rule of law and respect for the constitution.”
I am also hoping that the authoritarian populist victories we have seen in 2023 will be a more definitive wakeup call, and that we will cease to see the far-right surge with surprise. [cont'd]....
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FOR MORE INFO: go to https://www.swc.edu/dr-r-michael-fisher-phd/
EDUCATION, it's history recently and its roots and routes, related to fear/insecurity and economics, is really important to understand and critique today. I am impressed with this particular lecture by activist-film-maker author Astra Taylor, who tells of this connection.
There's a long story behind my finding this 4 pp. fold-out brochure in a medical library in New York City. It is the only evidence currently available on this group [1] that was apparently started under the guidance of the famous theosophists, Alice & Foster Bailey. Since 2006, when I found this brochure (which I made in color, aged, and adapted with a few excerpts here only using photoshop), I have been searching for answers to the mystery of where this group and The League 'disappeared' and why no traces. Currently, the fine folks at Lucis Trust, NY, are attempting to search into this. Curiously, no body in the current big American theosophical organizations has heard of this League but they do suspect the Bailey's were quite likely to have taken on initiating such a project. IF anyone has any leads to finding out more about this group, let me know:
r.michaelfisher52@gmail.com
But besides that fascinating historical evidence, and a story yet told, I wanted to share the brochure today, it seems appropriate as just 5 days away from one of the most important elections ever in U.S. history. The level of tension, fear, dread, etc. is palpable. It's also in my dreams. And, so, I thought it would be good to share these words, ideas, and spirit of fearlessness from this group in 1931, of which North America was deep in the Depression and fear was rampant. If you haven't already picked-up the nuanced connection between The League's mission and my own via the In Search of Fearlessness Project (1989- ) and later, founding the In Search of Fearlessness Research Institute (1991- )--and, the uncanny sense of a paralleling historical soul-based work that is wanting to go on in this world, it is so obvious to me--and yet, struggles of resistances to manifest this Project effectively are so powerful as well. To say it bluntly, there is no such project that has such a systematic well-thought out "program" to improve fear management and remove fear on the planet as a barrier to the evolution of consciousness. This is powerful beyond words. I wished, in retrospect, I would have found this brochure in 1989--boy, that would have made a big difference! But, that's the way it is.
End Note
1. Just recently, I have attained a few documents on this group, I am reviewing, and will keep you posted with updates, if you let me know you are interested.
* A variant theme arrived after, which is more accurate to Barbara and my visioning and planning: "CARING ABOUT CARING, IN AN AGE OF ANXIETY"
End Note (for this blogposting)
1. "Religion" sounds awefully strong I know. I could have said "spirituality" or "philosophy" and I could have not mentioned this at all. I suppose it was thrown in just now [a week after I posted this all] because of my critical reflective journaling on what it is that I am doing and attempting to ignite on this planet. I wrote, that the In Search of Fearlessness Project 1989- came as if from centuries before there was an 'I' or 'prophetic moment' of encountering with this truth path and revelation. But everything I can write and publish and teach on fear and fearlessness, really won't make sense until the total context of it is understood by others. It is a religion--meaning a religio (a return to source connectivity and sanity thereof) and it is a therapy--meaning a therapia (a philosphical therapeutic corrective in metaphysical dimensions and structural dimensions of the evolution of consciousness and dysplasia within that developmental circuitry) and, it is an education--meaning edu-care . I have qualified, using Latin words for what I am onto and called to bring out to this planet's evolution. A much longer discussion of course. And, as for the religio of fearlessness, if you attune to it, and go beyond what most "religions" are these days and in the past, you'll perhaps come into a new learning and imaginary of another kind (aka for the 21st century). You'll have the potential to see what I see, or know what I know, and to breathe and to move to action. A religio of fearlessness has never been strange to me since its inception in late 1989, however, I am not one to go around talking or promoting religion. That said, in my 2010 first major book published [2] I went so far as to see (and act out) that I could easily articulate a first draft of a "Credo of Fearlessness" (see pp. 39, 126, 205, 214). That Credo came about as a reflecting on what it was that is going on with this whole fear and fearlessness thing. Indeed, Credo's are part of all religions pretty much.
2. Fisher, R. M. (2010). The world's fearlessness teachings: A critical integral approach to fear management/education for the 21st century. Lanham, MD. University Press of America/Rowman & Littlefield.
Mark Satin, author-activist R. Michael Fisher, Host, FearTalks series
I recommend anyone interested in the domain of political activism, visionary leadership, and American political movements, that you check out FearTalk #22, that I recently did with Mark Satin. We explore diverse topics, including the impact of anger/fear and its downfall for many activist movements. Mark shares his new book (excerpts):
"Up From Socialism" (recently published by Bomardier Books, 2023). Go to the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv-tFgxRXUQ
[Note: Nov. 30, 2023: I have been reading Mark's book now for a few days. In the video talk above he said at one point that he searched his word.doc file of the ms. for "fear" and/or related terms and said there were 30+ uses in the book. Well, I can tell you there are way more than that. I'm see 40-50 uses in the first 35 pp. of the book, when one does a basic fearanalysis. Indeed, what is this new book about but "fear" and organizing in the political domain. Now, what is good fear and what isn't? A larger set of questions arises...].
A volume in the series: Studies in the Philosophy of Education. Editor(s): John E. Petrovic, The University of Alabama.
Published Nov. 15/23 2023 and for sale (see ordering flyer): SITPOE8.pdf
Also, add Discount Code for a good price reduction deal: discount code TFP23, effective today, ending March 31, 2024.
[also, as of Dec. 18/23, I made a 30 min. video on introducing the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tXi-uEE4fk ]
The author, with over three decades of focused research on fear and fearlessness and 45 years as an emancipatory educator, argues that philosophy and philosophy of education have missed several great opportunities to help bring about theoretical and meta-perspectival clarity, wisdom, compassion, and practical ways to the sphere of fear management/education (FME) throughout history. FME is not simple, nor a luxury, it is complex. It’s foundational to good curriculum but it requires careful philosophical critique. This book embarks on a unique transdisciplinary understanding of The Fear Problematique and how it can be integrated as a pivotal contextual reference for assessing the ‘best’ way to go in Education today and tomorrow. Educational philosophy is examined and shown to have largely ‘missed the boat’ in terms of responding critically and ethically to the insidious demand of having to truly educate ourselves when we are so scared stiff. Such a state of growing chronic fear, of morphing types of fear, and a culture of fear, ought to be central in shaping a philosophy of fear(ism) for education. The book challenges all leaders, but especially philosophers and educators, to upgrade their own fear imaginary and fear education for the 21st century, a century of terror likely to grow in the cascading global crises.
CONTENTS
Preface.
CHAPTER 1: Introduction.
CHAPTER 2: Philosophy and a Fearturn.
CHAPTER 3: Education Philosophy 'Misses the Boat.'
CHAPTER 4: Fear(ism) as Philosophy: A Transformative Paradigm.
CHAPTER 5: Fear Management/Education for the 21st Century.
CHAPTER 6: Fearlessness as Educational Philosophy.
CHAPTER 7: Recommendations.
Glossary. References. Index.
Ed. Note: Fearmorphosis book by Desh Subba 2023 reviewed here below, was first posted in The Existentialist Cafe group on Facebook. On that post David Grahame Armes commented. His comment cannot be shared with readers. For the convenience of them,with the permission of commenters, published. -DS]
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Desh Subba, isn't this article saying fear of everything crashing down is fundamental in metamorphosis within people, economies and societies which has delivered every advance known to Humanity? I do not dispute that fear can be a huge motivation for most people, but this can go too far reaching a point where people no longer fear even death because they've had it up to here with fear, and of course many people find this extremely difficult to understand and frightening because such people appear out of control still living but with a totally different motivation. This is basically true. Nevertheless, it is people in this state of mind who have actually delivered the great advances in Humans and Society.
Without fearless Universalists like Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Gandhi, MLK, and Baron RAF Battle of Britain Air Marshall Lord Sir Hugh Tremenheere Dowding (who had a laugh claiming he never got the true recognition he deserved after WW2 whilst turning his attention to working with Walt Disney in the Fairy Investigation Society), there would likely be nothing to raise the endeavor of people from the barbarity of constant warfare of some sort or another.
World Religion was created and maintained by these people, and without tolerant liberal Religion as the first and arguably best form of Politics because it acts to unify despite what openly sectional politicians who brought it down say today, there really would be no universities, libraries, science, schools, industrial revolution, philosophy, politics, and comfort. Even an isolated Amazon tribe motivates its members through something greater than the struggle to keep alive, probably because that would be far too depressing and they'd all give up and die out. Even today in the seemingly secular West we still idolise Love and falling in Love as the highest motivation we could hope for even though being in Love confronts everyone with our collective desire to be Functioning Mad rather than still Mad but not Functioning so well. If the Sisyphus metaphor is correct here we have to madly embrace not being afraid in order to keep getting motivated to keep pushing the huge rock up the hill.
I guess I don't totally agree with the Fearmorphosis thesis, because in a Western mindset at least we desire to be fearlessly Mad and Free in order to get anything done.
In this respect we have been extremely successful so far, even if the Planet teeters on the edge of total destruction regularly these days. What Westerners say is Liberal Democracies that idolise Love and Freedom rarely if ever go to War with each other, so we are frantically trying to help everyone be as Mad as we are before the whole thing goes belly up!
In the above 30 min. video talk, I take listeners through what happened in my latest course I taught. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD2MMC3Kpdw
Course Title: "Understanding Fear and its Effects on Humanity" (2023)
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Here is a panel of very progressive thinkers on the problems of world conflict today. If you get a change, this may be a worthwhile talk for you and others in grief and who are feeling somewhat hopeless with the rise of crisis and WWW-III lurking. -M. |
To see complete review go to: https://kcsunbeam.wordpress.com/2023/10/30/book-review-fearmorphosis/
Dr. Stanislav Grof, Psychiatrist and theorist (psychonaut).
I have recently watched the film https://www.psychedelicassistedtherapysummit.com/thewayofthepsychonaut?kref=2YglctPiB1lF
of which documents Stan Grof's life and career. By the end of the film, it was clear to me, that I had found another basic human archetype of Fear Management System-8, in my integral theory of fear management systems. There have been 'saintly' type figurations I have put in the FMS-8 prior, but now it felt like Grof is a less saintly but authentic type (manifestation) of FMS-8, and a very potent impressive person and life.
For more information on his work you can look him up (e.g., on Wikipedia) but the above film (and book?) "Way of the Psychonaut" is a really good overview.
See Below, my latest simple model of fear management systems (FMSs) that I have been researching and publishing on for probably 15 years or so (e.g., see Fisher, 2010). This diagram shows an evolutionary/developmental arrangement of these FMSs and FMS-8 (Turquoise colored) is depicted (and is extremely rare).
Note: It would take a long post and lecture really to do justice to explain this visual model and the theory it represents.
Okay, just found this new book available (2023) later in Nov. A professor and historian, Robert Peckham, has perhaps written a very interesting book for the study of fear.
I have called the revisioning of history through the lens of fear (i.., a fearist perspective) the new FEARSTORY that humans need to come to terms with, as that is essential to deepening our understanding and revising our current fear management/education. I order the book by Peckham. And, I'll report my findings on the FM ning soon.
