I watched the first half of the 1984 movie Dune with Trevor today. (Amazingly, I got through the scene with the hand in the box without cringing.) I was reminded of how many quotes from this movie still rattle around in my head ("They tried and failed?" "No. They tried and died."). It's the quotes about fear that seemed powerful to me as I watched the movie today. In fact, I think today was the first time that I recognized that the Emperor of the Universe's actions were based almost entirely on fear (the Harkonnens obviously thrive on fear), thus setting him even farther apart from the Atreides.
Fear truly is the mind-killer. We know from brain research that people quite simply do not have access to higher-order brain functions when in fight-flight-freeze mode. Our body devotes all of its power to simple survival. While fear might motivate someone to physically act and to teach behavioral obedience, it puts up barriers for critical thought.
Perhaps this is why we see so much fear in politics and the media. What better way is there to keep people from seeing the magician-style illusions that go on in or world? While our brains focus on the fear that has been placed before us, we miss the chance to fully reflect and evaluate the actual state of our world and our lives.
Fear truly is the mind-killer. We know from brain research that people quite simply do not have access to higher-order brain functions when in fight-flight-freeze mode. Our body devotes all of its power to simple survival. While fear might motivate someone to physically act and to teach behavioral obedience, it puts up barriers for critical thought.
Perhaps this is why we see so much fear in politics and the media. What better way is there to keep people from seeing the magician-style illusions that go on in or world? While our brains focus on the fear that has been placed before us, we miss the chance to fully reflect and evaluate the actual state of our world and our lives.
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