Closing Ranks

Paranoia and fear can cause us to “close ranks”. To go in a defensive stance that we’ll defend till the end. I’ve seen this in my life and in the lives of those around me. Fear and paranoia are powerful tools, used by the mind to defend itself. For me it was the fear of death, of pain, of insignificance; that drove me to “shelter in” and hide myself. 

Other than the obvious political tactics of paranoia we see every day. More and more of us cloak ourselves in these veneers or “brands” to sell ourselves. I don’t know maybe it’s all well and good in this materialistic world. I mean, I’ve used branding, I even researched and studied  it in grad school. But all I ever got out of it was a sense of falsehood and out right lying. 

I don’t mean to put down or insult those that use branding to sell product and thereby make a living. I suppose what I’m saying runs deeper than that. Maybe I’m just an outlier on the scale of who I am and what I value. It’s just that I enjoy living a life of honesty and expression. Where the demons of fear and paranoia are exposed for the cancer that they are. 
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Our ancestors across the plains of Africa and the frozen continents of the North, used fear to survive. Even our Christian beliefs tell us to embrace fear and overcome it. So why hide behind these masks we create. Let us bring down the walls of paranoia and fear and embrace who we are, individuals all trying to survive.