John Buttrick writes from his Vermont Folk Rocker in his Concord home, Minds Crossing. He can be reached at johndbuttrick@gmail.com.

Many fear that the United States is in a very serious crisis today.

It is evidenced by increasing tariffs, the arrests and deportation of immigrants and even some United States citizens without due process. There is also the defunding and closing of some government offices that serve the health and welfare of people in need and the ignoring of environmental health. In addition, the nation’s international relationships are under stress from an increased military budget, withdrawal of U.S. foreign humanitarian aid and entanglements in wars in Gaza, Ukraine, Syria, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sub Sahara Africa, Myanmar and others.

It is a fearful time.

However, another category of fear is fear of losing a way of life. Immigrants are perceived to be taking “American” jobs, gaining unearned health and welfare benefits, trafficking in drugs and threatening the traditional culture. In addition, some fear their lives are being taken over by a glut of unnecessary professional government workers burdening the nation’s budget.

They believe that there is an overabundance of government regulations preventing personal freedoms and interfering with free enterprise. There is also a suspicion that the country is being misguided by questionable science and liberal education of professional experts. These fears have resulted in the white nationalist movement, denial of the deterioration of the Earth’s environment and movements to highlight the first and second amendments to the Constitution.

People who fear losing their way of life often deny their feelings of fear and choose to replace fear with bravado. An example I experienced was at a checkpoint within Palestine. We were observing Palestinian school children getting on a school bus. When they were seated, an Israeli soldier walked through the bus with his rifle at the ready.

When he got off the bus we asked him, “What is it about these children that makes you afraid?” He defensively approached us, rifle in hand, and said forcefully, “I am not afraid?” His fear of Palestinians was disguised as aggression. He expressed superiority over the Palestinian children and over us, who were international accompaniers for the World Council of Churches.

Similarly, the current U.S. administration and groups such as the white nationalists, let fear be expressed with aggression, bullying, threats and conspiracy theories.

However, the source of some other people’s fear is to become aware of those with ill-advised power, claims of superior knowledge and demands to accept the one true reality and way of life. It is difficult to deny the reality of these power-wielding forces. Therefore, the victims are left with fear nurtured in “a darkness where negatives are developed” (Anon).

The poet Sophie Tunnell once defined fear as “the slinking cat beneath the lilacs of my mind.” These feelings of fear lead to caution or flight. To confront or oppose those with abusive power is to step into danger. One person I recently spoke with expressed it this way: “What will I do if I witness an injustice by ICE? Will I just let the person be taken away and live with the knowledge that I did nothing? Or will I say something and risk being arrested? What could I say that would make a difference and not perpetuate the injustice?”

Fear immobilizes.

Facing fear may be a step toward becoming free from its debilitating effect.

Consider the words of Franklin Roosevelt in his 1933 inaugural address. It was given during the Great Depression and a colossal banking crisis. “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.”

Perhaps the way to “advance” is to recognize fear as only a voice whispering in the ear, “What if” the self-prophesying powers win. Recognize that “what if” is not a final word. It’s no more than a scepter of speculation. Let fear be a motivation to transform “what if” into “now is the time.”

Now is the time to loudly declare that immigrants are an asset to the community. Now is the time to replace hegemony with equality among nation-states. Now is the time to declare that the government is called to support people in need by using its monetary resources and professional services. Now is the time to work for a healthy environment for the next generation.

It may be discovered that the need to grasp the old traditional way of life will become obsolete. It may be discovered that the risk and cost are worth the enhancement of the quality of life for all human beings.