Growing up conservative Christian, I was not taught empathy. It was not something that comes naturally to that group of people. Instead, they are taught fear – and a whole lot of it. Fear of hell, fear of God, fear of other religions, fear of other ethnicities, fear of loss of power, fear of loss of control, fear of sexuality, fear of government, fear of science, fear of evolution, fear of anything remotely contrary to their preconceived paradigms for how the world is supposed to work.
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I made a choice, when I grew into adulthood, to embrace empathy instead of fear. This choice was a result of rejecting evangelical’s brand of Christianity, and ultimately religion itself. It was a choice that came from breaking free from my childhood comfort zone, and leaving white conservatism, with its vitriol and hate, behind forever. It was a conscientious choice, and one I must continue to make over and over. The emotional brainwashing of a childhood immersed in religion can run deep.
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I refuse to live in constant fear of the “other” and I refuse to live in fear of change. I embraced diversity, and the belief that the world, and the future, is what WE make it…not some wrathful god. With that, however, comes a lot of responsibility (god isn’t going to magically save us from climate change!). But it also comes with a fuckload of hope.
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And today…..today is a day for hope. 💙
From The Ashes 
Great points. And I would say it is a different kind of fear than, for example, acrophobia or fear of a loaded gun (both of which alert one to be careful about something). The fear you speak of is as you said. And it is an old type of fear that stokes the fires of ‘vitriol and hate.’
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So true, and valid points. I think type of fear differs from a phobia, and is more subtle and insidious. It is taught, and passed from generation to generation, therefore building over time. In some ways, I think that makes it all the more deadly. 🙂
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I don’t think anyone would ever regret such a choice.
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