Fear and The Cruising Sailor

[Stillraining]

We dont have TV..

This computer screen is the closest thing to it we have...I have only been online for 2 years and have regretted it at times...I just left a post on another thread that sort of sums up my thoughts on fears...sumed up as it were " Ignorance can indeed be bliss"...I have learned a lot off this and other fourms...some of it I could have done without as it dose indeed impart some form of fears where I previously had none before.

Welcom back to the Good Ol US of A Maxingout...and keep the ear plugs in..I just have pretty much learned to tune out without them.

[maxingout]

Originally Posted by Spammy

Interesting topic.
Fear is a tool of manipulation. It's used by governments, salesmen, the media. It's great for getting people to buy things they really don't need and for getting them to behave in ways which are favorable to those in power. It gets and holds attention. I chuckle at the "teasers" on television news just before commercials: something really scary so you'll stay tuned and watch those commercials so as not to miss the revelation after those "words from our sponsors". I've been losing interest in tv...

Television has undergone a major shift in the past twenty years. When I came back to the USA after 28 years absence, I found that television had become more extreme. It's a bit like drug addiction where you need bigger doses of narcotic to get the same effect.

News broadcasts do not report the news. They are a form of negative entertainment - intrusive reporting into personal disasters and the dysfunctional behavior of the worst elements in society. News reporting is a ratings driven reality TV show designed to shock and entertain rather than inform.

Programs tend to be edgy and the only thing that counts is ratings. When nothing else works, violence and explosions are called into play to hold the audience. It's all rather boring and predictable.

I will take my reality over the media's virtual reality any day of the week. Too bad. Televsion has real potential for good.

[Christian Van H]

Originally Posted by maxingout

Television has undergone a major shift in the past twenty years. When I came back to the USA after 28 years absence, I found that television had become more extreme. It's a bit like drug addiction where you need bigger doses of narcotic to get the same effect.

I will take my reality over the media's virtual reality any day of the week. Too bad. Televsion has real potential for good.

I am simply amazed at the shear volume of horific crap on TV today. How many Forensic shows can a person watch in one week? What is the deal with this trend? As for the possibility of good, I gasped the other day when I saw an ad for the National Geographic Channel. It was for some extreme hazard reality show. When I was a kid, NG brought us Jacques Cousteau, Dove and Jane Goodall. Kids today can aspire to being chased by a tornado...

[maxingout]

Originally Posted by Spammy

Dave,
I had a medical emergency a couple of months ago, and needed emergency surgery. The pain was much worse than I had imagined, but I still do not fear pain. It's just a signal, your body getting your attention about an injury or some other significant problem. I only took three of the prescribed pain pills. I did plan to go back to work after a day or so, but it took a week before I was able to. A learning experience...

I had two broken legs, five broken ribs, a broken shoulder blade, plus internal injuries. No matter what position I was in, I was uncomfortable. I did have one thing going for me. I had an IV morphine drip, and I could push a button every five minutes and get 2mg of morphine IV. It did make a difference. Every time they came to turn me in bed, they gave me a five minute warning, and I would take some morphine. Then when they turned me, I would take another dose. It made a huge difference. That small dose relieves the pain without creating a sense of euphoria. I reckon I could have used a little euphoria as well, but you have to be grateful for whatever you can get!

Pain is a good thing when it forces you to get medical attention, particulary if you tend to be a stoic individual.

Once you have experienced intense pain, it qualifies you to talk to other people who are in pain. When people walked up to my bedside, and they said they knew how I felt, I wanted to punch them in the nose unless they had experienced the same injuries as mine.

If there is anything good about pain and suffering, it's that it qualifies you to talk to other people who have the same problem. You can honestly say, "I know how you feel."

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

There was a Micheal Critton book couple of years ago "State of Fear". Was "kind" of about global warming, but what it really was about was how so much is spent trying to keep us in a state of fear to distact us from real issues.

Should be mandatory reading by all that are able to read.

[maxingout]

Originally Posted by Christian Van H

I am simply amazed at the shear volume of horific crap on TV today. How many Forensic shows can a person watch in one week? What is the deal with this trend? As for the possibility of good, I gasped the other day when I saw an ad for the National Geographic Channel. It was for some extreme hazard reality show. When I was a kid, NG brought us Jacques Cousteau, Dove and Jane Goodall. Kids today can aspire to being chased by a tornado...

I think I saw the same National Geographic advertisement. They were talking about the moon being pulled out earth's gravitational field by the planet Jupiter. This would result in all sorts of catastrophes on planet earth. Galciers and deserts would cover the planet. They even created animations to illustrate the doom and gloom.

Go for it National Geographic. Scare us to death with fear, doom and gloom. Raise your ratings with fear.

On the positive side, maybe people will get tired of the media crying "Wolf". Maybe they will overplay the fear card, and we will all become immune to their gospel of fear.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by maxingout

You will go through hundreds of cyclones in your mind before you drop your dock lines. Fear is powerful stuff because your mind likes to go into rewind and scares you again and again.

.

Then fear must be one of those things like all other things.

In moderation it's OK.

Maybe I have the definition wrong but I have fears of cyclone situations (to pick only one example) and run them through my mind in multiple scenarios. This results in what I consider "planning ahead".

For want of some "fear" I would have done some really dangerous and stupid things I think.

[John A]

Originally Posted by John A

Now that you've all scared the hell out of me.
What's the solution?

I should clearify my rarher sardonic post.

I too cruised solo for almost ten years and the most diffucult transition, when returning to become a dirt person, has been to understand the atitudes and mindset of those in urben life. Foxnews, the talking heads of cable news, the internet spam, the shrill babel of it all. The lies and fabrication of what? Agendas?
I was glad that I was cruising during the last adminastration and so could ignore most of the babel, and, boy, I wish that I was still out there.
John

[maxingout]

Originally Posted by Therapy

Then fear must be one of those things like all other things.

In moderation it's OK.

Maybe I have the definition wrong but I have fears of cyclone situations (to pick only one example) and run them through my mind in multiple scenarios. This results in what I consider "planning ahead".

For want of some "fear" I would have done some really dangerous and stupid things I think.

A little fear keeps you sharp and helps you prepare for contingencies.

Too much fear immobilizes and incapacitates you.

A little fear put a parachute sea anchor and a Jordan drogue on my catamaran. That's a good thing. When I needed it in a winter storm north of New Zealand, a little fear never got out of control because I was prepared.

[rustypirate]

I think that we are confusing fear with intimidation...

I have a healthy sense if fear, which helps me be prepared, but I refuse to allow myself to be intimidated.

I also think that most cruisers are much more independent and therefor are harder to intimidate than average people, otherwise they would never cut loose from the dock.

Companies and governments have been leveraging media to intimidate populations for centuries, this is really nothing new, nor restricted to the US. Most likely you were not as aware of it while cruising simply due to a disconnection from the media outlets that are now bombarding you.

[mesquaukee]

I wonder if we are more afraid now than in the 50's and 60's when were learning how to hide under school desks. Then we were building bomb shelters in our backyards so we could survive a nuclear exchange and then a nuclear winter.
Now that the evil empire is gone and we have relations with China we seem more afraid.
Do we fear an underwear bomber more than a nuclear exchange or have we been manipulated by the media so a few can profit from our fears.
Is our society now become so evil we feel the need to drive our children to school and teach them to fear strangers.
Perhaps a clearly defined enemy, "the evil empire" , that could vaporize most of us in a flash of light does not inspire as much fear as an undefined enemy of limited reach and power.
Perhaps we have been encouraged by the few that control the media to give to this enemy the power to control our lives so they can profit from the fear we now feel.
The sad part is we all watched and listened and now we are fearful.

[bobfnbw]

Interesting thread.
My feeling is that if you ain't afraid in life you aint paying attention. Without fear, man would have died off long ago. It keeps us safe and healthy. Fear of the unknown, fear of falling, fear of pain, of being eaten alive, of dying.
All good.
But excessive fear, or as someone else said, fear of intimidation, is unhealthy. Knowing our limits is due to fear, and a healthy respect of life. I would not want to live my life without fear, because I fear I would not live very long.....

But...
It is true that many establishments, such as religion, goverment, business, use fear to control us. Or try to. Its up to each one of us to reconginze it for what it is, and watch it. Keep it in check you are ok. Subcome to it, and its hard to let it go.
But ignore it at your peril.

[jpemb7]

It is interesting to read the different perspectives on this topic. I've learnt a few things.
In response to the terrorist threat our government gave out fridge magnets that read, " Be alert don't be alarmed."
My initial reaction was to mock, be alert -the world needs more lerts.

But if I had a metal door on my boat fridge I'd put that fridge magnet on it, just to remind me not to be too complacent. That is my biggest cruising fear, complacency.
You see, it's not just fear that you have to fear.

Jim

[Canibul]

Originally Posted by TaoJones

René Descartes saidOkay . . . I may have added the last two words. )

I was just pondering this, as I made my way to the head for the morning ceremony.

And whilst comfortably seated with a book in hand, I realized two things...

One is that the exhaust fan is broken, again, and second, if I had to say who will be the one to fix it....I stink. Therefore, I am.

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by maxingout

I lived outside the USA for twenty-eight years, and during some of those years, I sailed around the world on my catamaran, Exit Only. I have been through one tsunami, a few storms, and sailed through pirate alley. I've taken a few risks that seemed reasonable, and I have never let fear control my life. In fact, fear has never been a significant component to my existence on planet earth. An occasional fearful thought keeps me sharp and on my toes, and out of harms way. But it doesn't keep me from living my dreams.

I never allowed fear to control my sailing itinerary. It was more about risk managment than it was about fear. Maybe I'm saying the same thing, but I don't think so.

Now that I have returned home, I am hearing the gospel of fear from many quarters. Politicians attempt to use fear to get votes, and businesses use fear to sell products. I am a physician, and I am blown away by the fear based advertising done by pharmaceutical companies to get people to take the drugs that they sell. Buy their product, and you won't have a heart attack, stroke, and a thousand other afflictions. I guess fear gets votes and makes people buy stuff.

Here's the surprising thing. When I was sailing around the world, the gospel of fear and lack did not ring in my ears. Maybe it's because I wasn't around television and the media. Nevertheless, I don't recall that when I lived in Australia and New Zealand, that fear based advertising was prominent in the media. Maybe my short term memory is faulty.

Maybe one of the benefits of being a cruising sailor is that it's harder for the fearful toxic waste of "civilization" to reach me and infect my mind. Anyway, I've had enough of it. For as long as I am on shore, I've got my ear plugs in, and I'm not listening to the gospel of fear.

How is it where you live? In your country is fear a significant component of the life in your country? When you are out cruising, do you notice a reduction in the messages of fear?

Here's a few thoughts about fear in my blog:

FEAR

Yep. I am a firm believer that America is the most risk-averse society in the history of mankind. Every possible risk must be eliminated, indemnified or litigated against.