![]() ![]() Capitol confirms what has been known for a long time, that conspiracy theories are not an innocent or a casual form of belief. The point here is not to excuse those who act out raw resentments and hatred rather the issue is to understand how people’s emotions can be manipulated and weaponized. Contemporary conspiracy theories become powerful tools to radicalize followers, demonize opposing groups and lead believers to conclude that violence is necessary. As an old proverb warns, "Short is the road that leads from fear to hatred." When driven by fear people become more irrational, but also more paranoid and vulnerable to wild fantasies of conspiracy. ![]() As psychological pressure builds, it can take very little to tear the skin of civilization and reveal festering emotional wounds full of resentment, hatred and rage. As an old saying reminds, "fear begets fear."įear can become such a strong force that it bypasses logic, overturns morality and can lead to inhumane behaviors. The rise of fear can drive polarization between people and generate a sense of imminent disaster in the world. Unfortunately, contemporary life is flooded with radical changes, growing conflicts and great uncertainties about the future that can’t help but agitate our primal fears and anxieties. Not life or death, not the “others” whom we may try to demonize, but our own fears that can be pre-verbal as well as unconscious. It is in that sense that fear can be said to be the enemy. The roots of fear reach deep into the ground of our psychological and biological being where they can be stirred by feelings of vulnerability, by threats of overwhelm or a sense of impending loss.
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