the foundations of personality-第43章

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the　emotion　of　fear　has　as　its　function　a　preparation　for　a　danger　that　is　foreseen　to　be　too　powerful　to　be　met　with　effective　resistance。　Fear　says；　〃It's　no　use　to　fight；　fly　or　hide。〃　Therefore；　normally　there　is　a　heightening　of　energy　feeling　and　action　in　these　two　directions。　There　are　plenty　of　recorded　incidents　where　fear　has　enabled　men　to　run　distances　utterly　impossible　to　them　otherwise。　In　the　fear　states　of　mental　disease；　the　resistance　a　frail　woman　will　offer　to　her　attendants　is　such　that　the　utmost　strength　of　several　people　is　required　to　restrain　her。　Under　these　circumstances　fear　acts　as　an　energizer；　causing　physical　reactions　not　ordinarily　within　the　will　of　the　person。　〃Fear　lends　wings；〃　is　the　time…honored　way　of　expressing　this。　The　trapped　animal　makes　〃frantic〃　efforts　to　escape。　Fear　is　extraordinarily　contagious；　perhaps　because　as　herd　members　the　cry　of　fear　sets　us　all　racing　for　safety。　This　is　the　grimmest　danger　from　fires　in　public　places　or　the　presence　of　a　coward　in　a　military　unit。　Panic　occurs　with　its　blind　unreasoning　flight；　and　the　result　is　disastrous。　I　emphasize　again　that　emotions　are　poorly　adapted　to　the　welfare　of　the　individual。　Business　panics　are　in　large　measure　the　result　of　the　contagiousness　of　fear；　timidity　spreads　like　wildfire；　distrust　and　suspicion　are　aroused　and　stagnation　results　without　a　〃real〃　basis。　In　President　Wilson's　phrase；　the　panic　is　〃purely　psychological。〃　Intellectualized；　fear　becomes　one　of　the　driving　forces　of　life；　as　Hobbes＇1＇　pointed　out。　Fear　of　punishment　undoubtedly　deters　from　crime；　though　it　is　not　in　itself　sufficient；　and　the　kind　of　punishment　becomes　important。　Fear　of　hunger　has　brought　prudence；　caution；　agriculture　into　the　world。　Life　insurance　has　its　root　in　fear　for　others；　who　are　really　part　of　one's　self；　the　fear　of　the　rainy　day　is　back　of　most　of　the　thrift；　though　the　acquisitive　feeling　and　duty　may　also　operate　powerfully。　Fear　of　venereal　disease　impels　many　a　man　to　continence　who　otherwise　would　follow　his　desire。　And　fear　of　the　bad　opinion　of　others　is　the　most　powerful　deterrent　force　in　the　world。　〃What　will　people　say〃　is；　at　bottom；　fear　that　they　will　say　bad　things；　and　though　it　keeps　men　from　the　〃bad〃　conduct；　it　inhibits　the　finer　nobler　actions　as　well。　There　is　a　great　deal　of　unconventional　untrammeled　belief　in　the　world　that　never　finds　expression　because　of　fear。　How　deeply　the　fear　of　death　modifies　the　life　of　people　it　is　impossible　to　state。　To　every　one　there　comes　the　awful　reflection　that　he；　that　warmly　pulsating　being；　in　love　with　the　world　and　with　living；　〃center　of　the　universe；〃　HE　himself　must　die；　must　be　cold　and　still　and　have　no　will；　no　power；　no　feeling；　be　buried　in　the　ground。　Most　of　the　essential　melancholy　of　the　world　is　due　to　this　realization；　and　most　of　the　feeling　of　pessimism　and　futility　thus　has　its　origin。　Mortal　mana　worm　of　the　eartha　brief　flower　doomed　to　perishand　all　of　it　finds　final　expression　in　Gray's　marvelous　words：　　〃The　boast　of　heraldry；　the　pomp　of　pow'r；　　　　　　　And　all　that　beauty；　all　that　wealth　e'er　gave；　　　Await　alike　the　inevitable　hour。　　　　　　　The　paths　of　glory　lead　but　to　the　grave。〃

＇1＇　Hobbes　made　fear　the　most　important　motive　in　the　conduct　of　man。

〃Why　strive；　thou　poor　creature；　for　wealth　and　power；　sink　thyself　in　the；　Godhead！〃　〃Turn；　turn　from　vain　pursuits；　fame；　the　bubble；　is　bound　to　break　as　thou　art。〃　This　is　one　type　of　reaction　against　this　fear；for　men　react　to　the　fear　of　death　variously。　If　man　is　mortal；　God　is　not；　and　there　is　a　life　everlasting。　The　life　everlastingwhether　a　reality　or　notis　conjured　up　and　believed　in　by　an　effort　to　compensate　for　the　fear　of　death。　I　have　a　son　who；　when　he　was　three；　manifested　great　emotion　if　death　were　to　enter　in　a　story。　〃Will　anything　happen？〃　he　would　ask；　meaning；　〃Will　death　enter？〃　And　if　so；　he　would　beg　not　to　have　that　story　told。　But　when　he　was　four；　he　heard　some　one　say　that　there　were　people　who　took　old　automobiles　apart；　fixed　up　the　parts　and　these　were　then　placed　in　other　automobiles。　〃That's　what　God　does　to　us；〃　he　cried　triumphantly。　〃When　we　die；　He　takes　us　apart　and　puts　us　into　babies；　and　we　live　again。〃　Thereafter　he　would　discuss　death　as　fearlessly　as　he　spoke　of　dinner；　and　all　his　fears　vanished。　Here　was　a　typical　rationalization　of　fear；　one　that　has　helped　to　shape　religion；　philosophies；　ways　of　living。　And　the　widespread　belief　in　immortality　is　a　compensation　and　a　rationalization　of　the　fear　of　death。　If　some　men　rationalize　in　this　fashion；　others　take　directly　opposite　means。　〃Eat；　drink　and　be　merry；　for　to…morrow　we　die。〃　The　popularity　of　Omar　Khayyam　rests　upon　the　aptness　of　his　statement　of　this　side　of　the　case　of　Man　vs。　Death；　and　many　a　man　who　never　heard　of　him　has　recklessly　plunged　into　dissipation　on　the　theory；　〃a　short　life　and　a　merry　one。〃　This　is　more　truly　a　pessimism　than　is　the　ascetic　philosophy。　〃Well；　then；　I　must　die；〃　says　another。　〃Oh；　that　I　might　achieve　before　death　comes！〃　So　men；　appalled　by　the　brief　tenure　of　life　and　the　haphazard　way　death　strikes；　work　hard；　spurred　on　by　the　wish　to　leave　a　great　work　behind　them。　This　work　becomes　a　Self；　left　behind；　and　here　the　fear　of　death　is　compensated　for　by　a　little　longer　life　in　the　form　of　achievement。　Many　a　father　and　mother；　looking　at　their　children；　feel　this　as　part　of　their　compensation　for　parenthood。　〃I　shall　die　and　leave　some　one　behind　me；〃　means；　〃I　shall　die　and　yet　I　shall；　in　another　form；　live。〃　Part　of　the　incentive　to　parenthood；　in　a　time　which　knows　how　to　prevent　parenthood　and　which　shirks　it　as　disagreeable；　is　the　fear　of　death；　of　personal　annihilation。　For　there　is　in　death　a　blow　to　one's　pride；　an　indignity　in　this　annihilation；Nothingness。　There　is　a　still　larger　reaction　to　the　fear　of　death。　I　have　stated　that　the　feeling　of　likeness　is　part　of　the　feeling　of　brotherhood　and　in　death　is　one　of　the　three　great　likenesses　of　man。　We　are　born　of　the　labor　of　our　mothers；　our　days　are　full　of　strife　and　trouble　and　we　die。　Men's　minds　have　lingered　on　these　facts。　〃Man　that　is　born　of　a　woman；　is　of　few　days；　and　full　of　trouble。〃　Job　did　not　add　to　this　that　he　dies；　but　elsewhere　it　appears　as　the　bond　for　mankind。　Reacting　to　this；　the　reflective　minds　of　the　race　have　felt　that　here　was　the　unity　of　man；　here　the　basis　of　a　brotherhood。　True；　the　Fatherhood　of　God　was　given　as　a　logical　reason；　but　always　in　every　appeal　there　is　the　note；　〃Do　we　not　all　die？　Why　hate　one　another　then？〃　So　to　the　fear　of　death；　as　with　every　other　fear；　man　has　reacted　basely　and　nobly。　Man　is　the　only　animal　that　foresees　death　and　he　is　the　only　one　to　elaborate　ethics　and　religion。　There　is　more　than　an　accidental　connection　between　these　two　facts。　Fear　in　its　foreseeing　character　is　termed　worry。　As　a　phase　of　character；　the　liability　to　worry　is　of　such　importance　that　book　after　book　has　dealt　with　the　subject；emphasizing　the　dangers；　the　futility　and　cowardice　of　it。　It　is　surely　idle　to　tell　people　not　to　worry　who　live　continually　on　the　brink　of　economic　disaster；　or　who　are　facing　real　danger。　But　there　are