When the subject of admired and respected intellectuals comes up ...people like Stephen Hawking are often mentioned. As I mentioned just a bit ago, I read that Stephen is afraid of aliens ...not the illegal ones, but the extraterrestrial variety.

Other people fear Climate Change ...

But, to what extent is it an actual fear??  People in the Middle East may fear for their life every day, if they are living in an area under present turmoil. How many people can't sleep at night because they fear the oceans are rising??  Very rarely have I had a dream of that nature, and the few occasions that i have ...well, I quickly remedied the situation by merely getting up and going to the bathroom.

I believe the greater concern is a different version of fear ...of a different nature, but a kind of fear nonetheless that has made most lists of dominant fears (no, it's not the fear of dominant robots).  Four fears make most lists, and here they are:

• Fear of commitment
• Fear of intimacy
• Fear of rejection
• Fear of failure

The first two would appear to go together, but not in the way that some people may think.  I'm not playing this "some people" game ...it is just quite evident to me that with the divorce rate being so high, they either fear commitment, or they choose not to marry because it requires too much in their mind.  It does not seem that people are fearing intimacy ...as they rather seem to be involved too much with it, outside of marriage. But, maybe it is truly fearing intimacy ...by thinking they want it more, as they think they are having it without that additional responsibility, which is not the truest form of intimacy when it is not within a marriage commitment.

The next two fears listed, may hold more actual truth than there is when someone says they fear Climate Change.  I have never heard of anyone leaping up in bed and screaming ...in fear of Climate Change.  I have heard of children in the Middle East not being able to sleep, startled awake by nightmares of terrorism.  But, to be honest, neither have I heard of anyone in America ...leaping up in bed because of the fear of failure or rejection.

The fears of failure or rejection ...each is a different sort of fear. It is a much slower developing fear ...yet, not without its intense effects.  Rejection can be real ...and it can really hurt. Failure seems to me to be more of a perspective.  But, both can bring on deep-seated anxiety and depression.

There are many ways people combat the feelings of rejection and failure.  Some people like to join the parade with the music playing on a bandwagon ...and all you have to do is join in. Popularity is something that is too often strived for.  But, some people are only looking for mere acknowledgment.  They don't think they will ever be popular ...but,, they can say something popular.  And it intensely matters to them for you to not totally disregard what they are saying.  The are likely saying it because it is popular to say, and so many people are saying it ...and it simply suffices that you acknowledge what they are saying.

The difficult part is when you don't feel you can accept what they're saying ...and they view that as not accepting them.  Yes, there re things said ...that we don't want to simply accept. Sometimes it is important not to just dismiss statements.  The delicate balance is finding a way to show interest in what they are saying ...and perhaps asking questions that perhaps a defensive and opinionated group of people would not provide a safe exchange for.  The point is for you to help not create an environment of rejection ...and then perhaps the defense of our environment would be a more reasonable conversation.

I think there are many more reasonable conversations that we could have.  Here is one of them:

Proverbs 9:10, states, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Perhaps too many people have alienated themselves from God.

You want confusion, distance yourself from God.  

But, I don't have to be always serious ...though when you read some of my humor, you may prefer my serious side.  Even my humor becomes confusing ...but, I need a break here, to stretch my imagination a bit, without compromising truth.

The story I'm going to tell does not claim any political truth ...yet, is at least somewhat geographically accurate.  Well, here goes:

In Africa, Kenya is bordered in the North by Ethiopia, and in the South by Tanzania.  And there was a particular family in Kenya, called the Mombasa.  That family had united with another from Tanzania, called the Dar es Salaam.  And they had a treaty of sorts that had been established and honored for many years.  

The elders of these two brought up many of the youth who heard of the high places, and Kidis Yared was frequented by many.  The Mombasa and Dar es Salaam found joy in watching as the Kid-is descending from the Semien Mountains in Ethiopia.

A reputation of excellent trade relations developed between Mombasa and the Kidis ...and the Dar es Salaam had to manage with the somewhat strained relations, as a result of the breakdown of communications.

Then, one day, a trade dispute erupted between the Mombasa and the Kidis.  The clash quickly escalated, resulting in the Kidis attacking the Mombasa.  The Dar es Salaam did not want to get involved initially, considering its recent history of poor relations, but the Mombasa asked for help, reminding the Dar es Salaam of their treaty.

The Dar es Salaam honored the treaty by joining the Mombasa in the conflict, hoping the show of force (unity) would be enough to end the dispute.

But, then something happened!!

With the Dar es Salaam within Mombasa's borders, Mombasa suddenly attacked Dar es Salaam.  Dar es Salaam found itself trapped, being attacked by Mombasa and the Kidis.  Caught in an ambush at Kikambala, the Dar es Salaam held its ground, though not without much infliction and suffering.

After the Mombasa and the Kidis began to celebrate a perceived victory, the Dar es Salaam retreated to heal its sustained injuries ...as Mombasa and the Kidis treated themselves to the lavish surroundings in the high places.

Okay, that's the story ...and oh, so sorry. "My bad!"  Or "I bad" ...or is it, I-bad-an, in Nigeria.  I'd really be in trouble if I ghana go that far for help.  Not psychiatric help ...my humor is just that much of a stretch.  

But, I'm not fully to blame here (or maybe I am) ...yet, consider that it is perhaps partly because you are not that well-versed in the Ethiopian language.  The Kidis is one of the mountain peaks, and Yared means 'to descend' ...so if they were going to plan a successful ambush, perhaps they need to 'con' the others into thinking they are going 'up' instead. But, if you imply people are that stupid ...you may be accused of being con-descending.