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Fear of the unknown is the driving force behind a lot of human behavior.

It is a reflex action to judge what you do not understand.

It is perfectly healthy to be wary of the things one does not know, but to allow the fear of what one does not know override your curiosity to learn more about what one does not know can cause a person to miss so many wonderful experiences and relationships.

This is what drives a lot of bullying in our society. Anyone who is deemed to be outside "the norm" is immediately called into question.

I believe this has a lot to do with our Puritanical roots, more specifically, the Salem Witch Trials. The changes in the weather was causing whole crops to become completely ruined, and as there were no scientific explanations at the time, the problems with the crops were increasingly attributed to citizens performing witchcraft. Most the people who were killed during these times were women, because the Puritan society was a Patriarchal society. Women were considered completely below men, and were much more likely to partake of "the Devil's work" than men.

These patriarchal values have bled over into our modern times. Double standards in every field of daily life that you could imagine are still applicable today. Things that no one would bat an eye to if a man did are publicly scorned if a woman should ever attempt them. Women are judged on a constant basis over things that men are allowed to do all of the time. Any woman who stands up to misogyny is immediately chastised as a man-hating feminist. Any woman who keeps her mouth shut, goes along with how terribly men treat them, is proving how women are the weaker sex. Women are not allowed to be aggressive or competitive; we are merely meant to be objects for men's entertainment. As the media dictates, in any case.

Buying into stereotypes also plays a big role in our society. You will be hard-pressed to find anyone who has not automatically jumped to a stereotype when meeting someone of a different race, religion, or political view as they are.

There is nothing wrong with being cautious about the unknown. It is when caution gives way to paranoia or tunnel-vision is when problems arise. To live truly is to open yourself up to being hurt, but persevering anyway.

Learn more about this author, Katy Andrews.
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