by Steve Lwyd

Created on: September 16, 2008

Is the modern world filled with more fear than the past? The question is ambiguous and misleading in context. Firstly the answer depends on a subjective judgment as to what constitutes "more". Secondly the splitting of history into a division of "Now" vs "Then" is arbitrary and somewhat ridiculous. In all the cultures through all the ages of (hu)mankind fear has been the single unifying experience of the hominid psyche.

Let's be clear;
Is there more fear now than in Europe under the inquisition? No oh, hang on, perhaps so in certain parts of Africa, the Middle East, Burma or the U.S.A, a western country which has in the vicinity of 20,000 gun related deaths per year.
How about more than, say, South America under the Conquistador's?...
Or, Rome under the monsters Tiberius or Caligula?..
The is no way as to define, in a quantifiable manner, the fear "factor" of an entire planet with a myriad of cultures at a particular instance of time.
The answer is also contingent upon your geographical location and cultural orientation. Ergo it is beyond the scope of a single perspective to give an answer that does not regulate the entirety of the world's people to their own paradigm and/or impose their own emotional tendencies as homogeneous for all humanity.
Most of the affirmative posts have been typically America-centric or western culturally biased and are typical of the reasons, stated above, as to why this question is a poor topic of debate.
If I had to weigh in on a particular side I would say; No.
For the entire history of civilization people have lived with the threat of invasion. With little or no communication network such invasion could come at any time, unannounced. There was a constant and pervading wariness to living in the ancient and pre modern world.
Secondly, up until the last two centuries people have lived under brutal and ruthless figures of absolute ruling power. There were no universal human rights and at any time you could be debased and violated by those in a position of more power than yourself.
Slavery was, until recently, systemic to a large portion of the world's cultures and was also a constant source of apprehension. Both nobles and commoners could become slaves in most cultures that embraced the institution.
Religious ideology, with it's more fervent and widespread adherence, was also more pervasive in ancient times. You feared the Devil and you feared yourself (sin). But above all you feared the wrath of god upon the unrighteous. Oh and you feared the Church because they were the physical manifestation of god's wrath.
When Rome took Carthage they razed the city and slaughtered every man, woman and child. A quarter of a million were put to the blade.
When the Moore's invaded Europe they killed without discrimination and sent two million white slaves to Northern Africa during their occupation.
The Mongols made both the western and eastern world tremble before them at one stage.
Plagues, natural disasters, war and pestilence were relatively common in the ancient world.
Never has the world been without absolute fear and uncertainty. We are just blinded and innured to it in the media imposed here and now.
My point? To answer for my self and only my self; I am glad to be alive today, where I fear for my person less, I think, than I would have in any other age.

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