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           Drunken Mastah
             from OPPERKLASSESVIN!!! (Norway) on 2005-03-13 08:57 [#01531283]
         Points: 35867 Status: Lurker | Show recordbag
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 What are we, as human beings in todays society, most afraid  of? I mean.. there are obvious things like terrorism and  murder and shit... but that's stuff that's going on  now, and most people (at least in many other places  than USA) aren't afraid of terrorists anyway.. also there  isn't this continuuous fear of being killed going 'round...  it has to be something that's always in our minds.. we have  to always fear it...
 
  Earlier when christianity had a better hold of us (I'm  talking western civilization right now), I think it would be  safe to assume that at least one of the biggest fears  were not gaining acceptance in heaven or ending up with the  devil or whatever (it was actually common practice for a  while not to get baptised before right before ones death  since baptism was performed to cleanse ones sins), but in  todays society this fear just won't hold up as the biggest  fear.. I don't think there are too many people who go about  their life thinking they're probably going to go to hell if  they don't always do the right thing anymore.
 
  Now, I'm not saying that there would have to be some fear  all the time, but if you look at our history as a  civilisation, there have rarely been times when we didn't  fear something, and where that fear wasn't common for an  entire civilisation, as opposed to just a period.
 
  So.. what would you say has taken over God/The devils place  as the ultimate fear that we all are afraid of simply  because our society teach us to be afraid of it as we grow  up?
 
  The fear of not amounting to anything would hold a strong  position in this, but I don't know... it is also possible  that we, while living in this civilisation, can't see our  own fear, but there's a larger chance of seeing it if more  people search.
 
  Just a thought before rebooting this crap-heap.
 
  
         
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           stilaktive
             from a place on 2005-03-13 08:58 [#01531284]
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i had a dream i was ripping crosses off walls and trying to  stab people. 
 
  
         
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           Drunken Mastah
             from OPPERKLASSESVIN!!! (Norway) on 2005-03-13 09:06 [#01531290]
         Points: 35867 Status: Lurker | Followup to stilaktive: #01531284 | Show recordbag
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you're definately posessed!
 
  
         
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           ecnadniarb
             on 2005-03-13 09:07 [#01531291]
         Points: 24805 Status: Lurker | Show recordbag
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A lot of people have no fear any more which is contributing  to the breakdown in established society.  Fear has been used  in the past as a way of keeping the masses in check.  With  religion no longer being in a position to dictate, the  governments have to look for other things (eg. terrorism),  to make people beleive they aren't being controlled however  this isn't totally succesful so the increasing use of police  state tactics are being brought into play (patriot act in  the US, torrorism act in the UK).  It will continue down  this path. 
 
  
         
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           welt
             on 2005-03-13 09:08 [#01531292]
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many people seem to fear loneliness.
 
  
         
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           Raz0rBlade_uk
             on 2005-03-13 09:32 [#01531307]
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this is far too deep for a sunday
 
  
         
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           DJ Xammax
             from not America on 2005-03-13 09:48 [#01531318]
         Points: 11512 Status: Lurker | Followup to Raz0rBlade_uk: #01531307
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I'd have thought it was too deep for you any day of the  week. 
 
  
         
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           -crazone
             from smashing acid over and over on 2005-03-13 09:54 [#01531328]
         Points: 11235 Status: Lurker | Show recordbag
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we all should fear ourselfs, think about it..
 
  
         
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           manicminer
             from Paris (France) on 2005-03-13 10:03 [#01531340]
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The thing we should fear the most is the environment,  nature, climate..... it's so obvious. The signs are all  around us - it's probably too late to do anything about it,  but if we don't at least try then we're definitely fucked.
 
  If you allow bacteria to multiply exponentially on a  nutrient plate, they will eventually start dying due to a  buildup of their own waste, which is toxic to them  (pollution). 
 
  Unless we do something radical, ultimately we're going to  prove ourselves as clueless as unicellular organisms. 
 
  
         
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           Drunken Mastah
             from OPPERKLASSESVIN!!! (Norway) on 2005-03-13 10:06 [#01531350]
         Points: 35867 Status: Lurker | Followup to ecnadniarb: #01531291 | Show recordbag
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ecna: so you're saying that fear isn't as constant as it  used to be? the governments and the media are constantly  exchanging one fear with another to make us "stay?"
 
  manicminer: yeah, but what you say is a normative  statement... I was trying to figure out what it is we  ACTUALLY fear... 
 
  
         
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           ecnadniarb
             on 2005-03-13 10:28 [#01531371]
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That is exactly what I am staying.  The ability to exploit  weakness is the primary measurement of corporate, religious  and governmental success.  Fear and insecurity is the most  easy weakness to exploit. 
 
  
         
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           r40f
             from qrters tea party on 2005-03-13 10:32 [#01531374]
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i agree with ecnadniarb except that i would say that i don't  agree that established society is breaking down at all.  and  i think the climate of fear is at least the same, if not  worse, than it used to be. 
 
  
         
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           -crazone
             from smashing acid over and over on 2005-03-13 10:50 [#01531398]
         Points: 11235 Status: Lurker | Show recordbag
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we fear shit
 
  
         
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           i_x_ten
             from arsemuncher on 2005-03-13 12:31 [#01531523]
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the worst kind of fear is irrational fear....  we all know  you're more likely to be killed by a car than a terroist or  an axe murderer, yet which are people more scared of?  statistically in the UK you're at more risk from the IRA  than islamic extremeist terrorists. its because we're  conditioned into beliving that there is a threat  by  govt/media proganda etc.. that builds up this culture of  irrational fear of the bogeyman. it sets people thinking....  "what if, what if, what if" 
 
  to summarise; the fear of the unknown. 
  oh and btw
  Madness is rare in individuals - but in groups, parties,  nations, and ages it is the rule. :0) 
 
  
         
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           plaidzebra
             from so long, xlt on 2005-03-13 13:27 [#01531588]
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fear of death and fear of the unknown seem tightly woven  together...
 
  other favorites include fear of powerlessness or loss of  control, fear of emotional and physical pain, and fear of  being unworthy or invalid (fear of being judged, obsessing  over what other people think about oneself)...
 
  i don't think people are more or less fearful than they've  ever been.  the more we contemplate our thoughts and  behaviors, though, the more we notice how fear motivates us.   
 
  from my perspective, all fear is irrational, for reasons  beyond the scope of the messageboard.  nevertheless, i  frequently observe reflexive fear reactions in myself.  but  i think if we weren't afraid we wouldn't need this world  anymore...   
 
  
         
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           i_x_ten
             from arsemuncher on 2005-03-13 13:37 [#01531604]
         Points: 10031 Status: Regular | Followup to plaidzebra: #01531588
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i know you said its beyond the 'scope of the messageboard'  but to fear someone pointing a gun at your eyesocket is  quite rational i think 
 
  
         
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           Drunken Mastah
             from OPPERKLASSESVIN!!! (Norway) on 2005-03-13 13:39 [#01531611]
         Points: 35867 Status: Lurker | Show recordbag
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well, yes.. all good fears, but fear of unknown and fear of  death and all that are more or less constant fears, aren't  they? isn't there something special about our civilisation? 
 
  
         
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           qrter
             from the future, and it works (Netherlands, The) on 2005-03-13 14:18 [#01531651]
         Points: 47414 Status: Moderator | Followup to Drunken Mastah: #01531611
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does there need to be?
 
  
         
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           plaidzebra
             from so long, xlt on 2005-03-13 14:19 [#01531652]
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i respectfully disagree, ixten.
  from my perspective, the fear experienced by an individual  in that situation results from the operation of an  irrational belief...
 
  the belief that annihilation of the body represents  annihilation of the self...
 
  though the reaction of fear is understandable, predictable,  highly probable for most people, it will not emerge in all  people.  
 
  this may prove to be an especially unpopular perspective,  however! 
 
  
         
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           plaidzebra
             from so long, xlt on 2005-03-13 14:24 [#01531660]
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and from that comment, drunken mastah, you can see that i do  not view fear of death as a constant, but i would  acknowledge its long term popularity...
 
  maybe fear of death is especially potent these days given  that a scientific materialist perspective views death of the  body as the ultimate and meaningless extinguishing of all  that an individual is.
 
  maybe fear of god's wrath seems more comfortable when  compared with absolute annihilation and nothingness... 
 
  
         
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           Chihiro
             from twins land on 2005-03-13 14:27 [#01531664]
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-to die in an airplane crash... -That my girlfriend dumps me... -and loneliness...   
 
 
  
         
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           Drunken Mastah
             from OPPERKLASSESVIN!!! (Norway) on 2005-03-13 14:30 [#01531666]
         Points: 35867 Status: Lurker | Followup to plaidzebra: #01531660 | Show recordbag
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qrter: no, but there may be...
  plaid: oh, believing in the afterlife is proof of the fear  of death AND of the fear of unknown. "afterlife" is an  "explanation" of both that makes them LOOK less  intimidating... 
 
  
         
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           i_x_ten
             from arsemuncher on 2005-03-13 14:37 [#01531673]
         Points: 10031 Status: Regular | Followup to plaidzebra: #01531652
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you know too much. you must be killed.
 
  
         
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           welt
             on 2005-03-13 15:05 [#01531707]
         Points: 2042 Status: Lurker
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well, as i said before. fear of loneliness / loneliness as a  result of not being accepted. 
  america and europe see themselves as individualistic  societies (america more than europe) and rate personal  success over 'existing in a group'. with the result that  many relationships are fleeting (people change their circle  of acquaintances because they change jobs or whatever) and  stuff.  
  people however have an inner need and desire for  interpersonal relationships which is likely to not be  satisfied in an aedequate way in such conditions. 
  another point: not be able to fulfill society's ideal of a  human being. the stuff with the plastic surgery when people  think it's insufficient to be themselves. 
  maybe the fear of loneliness expresses itself in such  things: i dont know how it is where you live, but here it's  like that that on every party there are photographers, then  everybody poses for a picture and a few hours laters you can  see and discuss the photos on the internet. people are  FANATIC to get on a photo and show that they were on a  party. it's much about showing off and being perceived by  others. 
 
  maybe you could say that the fear of not fulfilling a  religious ideal (and go to hell as a result) was exchanged  for the fear of not fulfilling one ideal society  constructed.
 
  then again i never thought about this and it's kinda undeep  what i've written. 
 
  
         
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           stilaktive
             from a place on 2005-03-13 15:19 [#01531715]
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i fear those big boldy type things, like the highest amount  of pressure on a certain point (like a huge lump of playdo  on a toothpick) i get when i have a fever. 
 
  
         
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           Rostasky
             from United States on 2005-03-13 15:24 [#01531719]
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I shall take this time to quickly make a short  plug
 
 
 
  
         
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           OK
             on 2005-03-13 21:34 [#01532163]
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i read somewhere that, in general, women's worst fear is to  be savahely raped. In constrast men's worst fear is to be  ridiculized in public. 
 
  
         
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           magicant
             from Canada on 2005-03-13 21:44 [#01532168]
         Points: 2474 Status: Regular | Followup to OK: #01532163
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as a male, i should say that i am more afraid of being  severely raped than being ridiculed in public. 
 
  
         
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           bogala
             from NYC (United States) on 2005-03-13 22:59 [#01532212]
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Top worst nightmares:
  being in a plane and having it explode in mid-air
  And absolutley worst nightmare of all ...  'being buried  alive!!'
 
 
 
  
         
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           somejerk
             from south florida, US (United States) on 2005-03-14 07:37 [#01532414]
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being burried alive under a huge pile of sand in the  dessert, floating out into the vacuum of space, or drowning  in a deep, dark ocean.  
 
  
         
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           plaster
             from splitska 10 on 2005-03-14 07:38 [#01532418]
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vamps and crashes...especially aeroplane ones.
 
  
         
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           Ophecks
             from Nova Scotia (Canada) on 2005-03-14 09:13 [#01532487]
         Points: 19190 Status: Moderator | Show recordbag
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My big fear is pretty generic. Death, it pretty much  dominates my thoughts quite often. I'm scared to death of  it, my death and others. I don't really truly fear anything  else. I'm in dire financial/academic straits right now but  it doesn't scare me for whatever reason, it can't kill me. I  WISH I was afraid for my future, but I have no concern about  anything except how I'm going to die. 
 
  
         
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           plaidzebra
             from so long, xlt on 2005-03-14 09:15 [#01532489]
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drunken mastah, i can appreciate your perspective regarding  the implications of "belief" in an "afterlife."
 
  however, i think the "afterlife" is far more complex and  subtle and unpredictable than the phrase "afterlife" can  capture.  i don't think it's a panacea or fantasy or  necessarily a comfort at all.  might it not mean that there  is no end to an individual's suffering?
 
  i came to this perspective from the other side.  i spent a  lot of energy trying to hold on to my scientific materialist  worldview.  i relinquished my denial only after years of  contemplation and agnosticism.  i'm not a member of any  organized system of belief.
 
  maybe it's safer to suggest that the transformations of mind  that occurred within humans in the last 2000 years represent  only the first step of thousands...
 
  and now, off to catch a bus!
 
 
  
         
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           epohs
             from )C: on 2005-03-14 09:20 [#01532499]
         Points: 17620 Status: Lurker
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in 2001 i had some sort of suckass extended  depression/anxiety breakdown bullshit that lasted for like a  year and a half.
 
  my worst fear is that that will happen again.
  i'd rather drown in a flaming airplane crash while being  assraped by devil worshiping nazis. 
 
  
         
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           epohs
             from )C: on 2005-03-14 09:27 [#01532506]
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Oh, and on a more global scale, I'm pretty worried that  dubya is helping to put the us on a path toward becoming a  non-secular gov't.  That scares me pretty bad. 
 
  
         
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           Bob Mcbob
             on 2005-03-14 09:36 [#01532513]
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My worst fear is that God hates me and i will be punished  when i die, i dont think ive done enough good things to get  into Heaven but im too weak to change so i am doomed to be a  jerk and get punished for all eternity.
 
  My second worst fear is that ive made a huge bodge up of my  life and i wont be able to put it right again, ive missed so  many oppertunities and acted so short-sightedly, i just know  other people can tell what a loser i am as soon as they look  at me.
 
  My third worst fear is spiders. 
 
  
         
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           Anus_Presley
             on 2005-03-14 09:41 [#01532516]
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losing my cock in a frreak accident 
 
  
         
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           deepspace9mm
             from filth on 2005-03-14 09:50 [#01532523]
         Points: 6846 Status: Addict | Followup to Anus_Presley: #01532516
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Heh, that doesn't tend to keep me up at night but i know  what you mean. Mangled genitalia isn't my idea of a fun  monday afternoon.
 
  Welcome back by the way ol' chum.
 
  
         
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           pOgO
             from behind your belly button fluff on 2005-03-14 10:01 [#01532527]
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loosing
 
  
         
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           KEYFUMBLER
             from DUBLIN (Ireland) on 2005-03-14 10:03 [#01532530]
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fear, its very self... shits me right up *shivers
 
  
         
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           epohs
             from )C: on 2005-03-14 10:08 [#01532534]
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I'm also more scared of being easilly replaced by someone I  care about, than I am scared of being lonely.  Which is why  I try to avoid caring about people nowadays.
 
 
 
  
         
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           yann_g
             from now on 2005-03-14 15:41 [#01532998]
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ghosts
 
  
         
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           stilaktive
             from a place on 2005-03-14 16:10 [#01533037]
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Dont worry the deepest part of hell is also the coldest
 
  
         
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           evolume
             from seattle (United States) on 2005-03-14 18:26 [#01533228]
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I do have a recurring fear that someone will eventually find  out my deepest secret.  But i've kept the secret for 20+  years and i intend to take it with me to the grave.  Suffice  it to say that,  when i was about 6 years old, i did  something quite evil and i still carry the guilt though i  don't really blame myself; i was quite young and naive and  should have had better supervision.
 
  but that's not really a "fear." i don't have much anxiety or  nightmares about it and it probably wouldn't make a good  horror film or psychological thriller.  well, maybe.  
 
  oh, and maybe being eaten alive.  yeah i'm a bit afraid of  that! 
 
  
         
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