I grew up in the 70s and 80s. I really never felt much fear. What was there to be afraid of? Sure, some bad things happened somewhere else but that wasn’t common and it didn’t make sense to dwell on it. Life was good. Sure, there was the Cold War but that was so totally out of our hands that it didn’t make sense to worry about it.
I think that our Masters have now constructed a world in which everyone is afraid of everything all the time. Climate change, viruses, crime, you name it. We all live in fear and many voters just want government to have massive power so that they can “fix things”.
The fear also leads to less logical / less competent decision making, including making decisions to buy stuff. Sellers like it when their potential buyers to be on edge, where nudging them to make an "OK, I'll buy it" decision might see the buyer skip over some factors that ought to be considered. Media producers get results for their advertisers when they figure out what makes a viewer concerned for their safety or well-being.
Cookies, anyone?
Like me, you grew up in The Matrix. Of course things seemed pleasant by comparison, it was all based on lies. These days we're frustrated because we can just see a hint of the the truth through an increasingly dissipating curtain of lies.
Very well said.
I refuse to live in fear. You should too. Fear kills the spirit, the spirit keeps you alive and free.