The Popcorn Stand: Nothing to fear

Today is Nothing to Fear Day. It’s recognized on this date, May 27, every year. The reason why is on May 27, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt repeated one of the most famous sayings ever uttered in the history of mankind when he again said: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Of course Roosevelt had made that same statement a little more than eight years earlier on March 4, 1933 during his inauguration speech as Roosevelt came into the office at the height of the Depression. He made the statement again during one of his famous Fireside chats in response to Nazi Germany’s and Hitler’s effort, well, effort to take over the world. During that address Roosevelt also declared a state of unlimited national emergency, which I really still don’t understand exactly what that meant, but it’s my understanding it had something to do with combatting the isolationist’ view and convincing Americans aiding Europe was in America’s best interest at that time. Anyway I’ve never liked the saying “if there’s ever a time” because it’s always “if there’s ever a time.” But “if there’s ever a time” something like Nothing to Fear Day is needed it’s today. Now I’ve stopped myself and deleted most of what I had previously written because, well, this column was becoming a real downer. I was mired in pitying what we’ve become. But then I realized it’s not all bad. We’ve heard all the stories about what happens when we become a fear-based society and those stories become magnified. And there’s no denying we’re at times a fearbased society and a downright cruel society, which I’ve written about before. But I was lamenting in this column about how far we’ve declined since 1988 when George H. W. Bush also uttered the words not as famous as Roosevelt’s, but still pretty well known, when he said “We need a kinder, gentler nation.” It’s been 90 years since Roosevelt first made his statement. It’s been 35 years since Bush made his. Maybe in 90 years Bush’s statement will become just as famous as Roosevelt’s. Anyway I become too focused on the bad and not focused on the good. If I focused on the good I would see all around me those who do demonstrate a kindness and gentleness that’s so needed in today’s society — that’s always been needed in society. And I see those who don’t live in fear or maybe live in some fear but have discretion about it. Although I don’t think Roosevelt’s statement would have been nearly as famous if he would have said something like: “Fear without discretion is fear itself.” Another one of my favorite quotes came from The Reverend Bob Richards when he said “Ordinary people can do extraordinary things.” And another great statement from Norman Maclean in the movie based on his novel “A River Runs Through It” — “You can love completely without complete understanding.” I see these things every day. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. People loving those they really don’t understand. People being kind and gentle. And, yes, people not living in fear, or at least having some discretion about it. I think all of those things are what Nothing To Fear Day is about. Those are the points Roosevelt and Bush were trying to get across. Of course we can’t taken nothing to fear literally. But we don’t have to fear every little thing we’re afraid of, either. We can live without fear or at least try the best we can to live without fear most of the time. There’s nothing to fear about that.