In A Word, Fear – F.D.R. defined fear in '32. It's been redefined. Now it's a weapon.
Gerald Eisman
September 18, 2006
Fear: a feeling of agitation and apprehension caused by the presence or imminence of danger.
In life there are statements made that endure through the years as a fundamental truth that never changes. The facts surrounding the statement may be altered and the times changed, but the underlying truth remains immutable. One such statement was one made by Franklin D Roosevelt when he delivered his first of four inaugural speeches in 1932. He said this:
I am certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our people impel. This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory.
That statement, spoken bravely and directly to the American people, made a point so clearly, the response was an immediate and foregone conclusion. We rallied around Roosevelt, accepted his leadership and, because he spoke truth to us, worked as a unit toward the betterment of these United States. Roosevelt reminded us that our fears were groundless. He renewed the hope that lives ever present in the hearts of a people. He pointed the way to unity and we grew as a nation and a people.
Today we are beset with many serious problems that can bring us down as a nation if we allow them to do so. Our debt is ridiculously high and our prestige in the world at an all time low. We are in a war that is draining us, one we need never have engaged in and we face enemies in all areas of the world, several very close to our borders. Most distressful of all, we are not a united people seeking to shore up our nation but a polarized conglomeration of citizens fighting each other, turning deaf ears to the opinions of the next man because he wears a different label on his political jacket.
And there is no Roosevelt to remind us that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. Rather, we have a man in the White House who plays upon the fears we, the people, harbor, using them as a weapon to keep us apart from each other. He is the epitome of divisiveness in a nation in need of an honest, thinking man whose only purpose is to bring people together for their and their neighbor’s welfare. We have a man whose lust for power and control has brought us to the brink of a precipitous cliff and keeps us teetering. Our current president is a master of the art of deception, derision, and destruction and the pervasiveness of his art has invaded the will of a nation to stand tall, defending those characteristics that made us strong from our very inception as a nation.
It does the people no good to have nameless terrors inculcated into our daily lives, terrors which may or may not be legitimate but are constantly being circulated in our minds. If they exist, we should know the truth of them and not the politicized and altered facts needed to continue fostering the people’s unease. When faced with truth, Americans can and will overcome obstacles that threaten our greatness. Unjustified references to danger promote instability and paralysis. Truth generates unity and heroism.
Our nation’s contentment and success will not lie in the mere possession of power; but in the joy of achievement and the thrill of honesty and cooperative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase for political gain. These dark days will be worth all they cost us if we learn that our true destiny is not to cower and accept deception but to hear the truth and act upon it. Restoration calls, however, not for changes in ethics alone. This Nation asks for action, and action now. Change is good and change is needed, both in direction and in leadership.
If the tenor of our people can be judged, we are beginning to realize a need for interdependence upon each other. We can no longer merely take but we must give as well. If we are to go forward, we must move as a determined and loyal citizenry ready and willing to sacrifice for the good of the nation. We must demand the truth from our leadership because without truth no progress is made, no leadership effective. As Americans we must stand forthrightly as a people to devote our lives and efforts to honesty and decency, and insist on a leadership which aims at the greatest good for our nation and not the personal power grab of a few people with antiquated and destructive ideals.
Were Roosevelt to be alive today he would likely say, “We are looking fear in the eyes today and find it nothing more than a personal flaw, one that can be conquered by a simple truth. We are stronger than it is.”
In life there are statements made that endure through the years as a fundamental truth that never changes. The facts surrounding the statement may be altered and the times changed, but the underlying truth remains immutable. One such statement was one made by Franklin D Roosevelt when he delivered his first of four inaugural speeches in 1932. He said this:
I am certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our people impel. This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory.
That statement, spoken bravely and directly to the American people, made a point so clearly, the response was an immediate and foregone conclusion. We rallied around Roosevelt, accepted his leadership and, because he spoke truth to us, worked as a unit toward the betterment of these United States. Roosevelt reminded us that our fears were groundless. He renewed the hope that lives ever present in the hearts of a people. He pointed the way to unity and we grew as a nation and a people.
Today we are beset with many serious problems that can bring us down as a nation if we allow them to do so. Our debt is ridiculously high and our prestige in the world at an all time low. We are in a war that is draining us, one we need never have engaged in and we face enemies in all areas of the world, several very close to our borders. Most distressful of all, we are not a united people seeking to shore up our nation but a polarized conglomeration of citizens fighting each other, turning deaf ears to the opinions of the next man because he wears a different label on his political jacket.
And there is no Roosevelt to remind us that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. Rather, we have a man in the White House who plays upon the fears we, the people, harbor, using them as a weapon to keep us apart from each other. He is the epitome of divisiveness in a nation in need of an honest, thinking man whose only purpose is to bring people together for their and their neighbor’s welfare. We have a man whose lust for power and control has brought us to the brink of a precipitous cliff and keeps us teetering. Our current president is a master of the art of deception, derision, and destruction and the pervasiveness of his art has invaded the will of a nation to stand tall, defending those characteristics that made us strong from our very inception as a nation.
It does the people no good to have nameless terrors inculcated into our daily lives, terrors which may or may not be legitimate but are constantly being circulated in our minds. If they exist, we should know the truth of them and not the politicized and altered facts needed to continue fostering the people’s unease. When faced with truth, Americans can and will overcome obstacles that threaten our greatness. Unjustified references to danger promote instability and paralysis. Truth generates unity and heroism.
Our nation’s contentment and success will not lie in the mere possession of power; but in the joy of achievement and the thrill of honesty and cooperative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase for political gain. These dark days will be worth all they cost us if we learn that our true destiny is not to cower and accept deception but to hear the truth and act upon it. Restoration calls, however, not for changes in ethics alone. This Nation asks for action, and action now. Change is good and change is needed, both in direction and in leadership.
If the tenor of our people can be judged, we are beginning to realize a need for interdependence upon each other. We can no longer merely take but we must give as well. If we are to go forward, we must move as a determined and loyal citizenry ready and willing to sacrifice for the good of the nation. We must demand the truth from our leadership because without truth no progress is made, no leadership effective. As Americans we must stand forthrightly as a people to devote our lives and efforts to honesty and decency, and insist on a leadership which aims at the greatest good for our nation and not the personal power grab of a few people with antiquated and destructive ideals.
Were Roosevelt to be alive today he would likely say, “We are looking fear in the eyes today and find it nothing more than a personal flaw, one that can be conquered by a simple truth. We are stronger than it is.”
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