Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living

our fears
Thesis Statement:

Fears sow the seeds of insecurities and irrational behaviours, which, in turn, shatter dreams of individuals as well as of
nations.

OUTLINE:
Fears that shatter individual's dreams
Fear of failure leading towards inaction
Fear of tomorrow leading towards lethargy
Fear of better option leading towards indecision
Fear of rejection affecting one's ability to succeed
Fear of change robbing one of the present joy
World History: a story of broken dreams in the hand of fears
Suspicion of new technology
Nazism; enemy at the gate
Cold War era; a period of fearing opposite ideologies
Waging Iraq war through fear mongering
Fears hampers dream of world peace
Clash of Civilisations; a theory of fear, suspicion and hatred of each other
Rise of Rabble-rousers to power through politics of fear and suspicion
Rise of intolerance
Fears hampers dream of development
Brexit and Trumpist: rejection of cooperation between world economies and nations through
protectionism
Global trade war; a recent manifestation of fear in world economy
Male distrust and fear of other men; a primary cause of gender inequality resulting in low human
development index
Pakistan: 70 years of Living through fear; leaving the train of her founder’s dreams
Becoming a security state leaving dream of a welfare state
Budgeting its defence while missing dreams of education and health
Indulging in proxies while shattering dreams of neutrality
Bowing to religious fanatics while shooting dreams of inter-religious and intra-religious harmony
WayForward: living our dreams by conquering our fears
Overcoming irrational individual fears
Leaving out politics of fear
Aversion from trending fascism
Protectionism is not the answer; Globalism is.
Conclusion

The emotion of fear is hard-wired into all creatures to protect them against the real threats. However, humans occupied
themselves with irrational fears of tomorrow, unknown, failure, rejection and change, culminating into lethargy, inaction,
and indecision. A life spent in fears is a life half spent. World history is a story of broken dreams in the hand of fears. For
centuries, civilizations have been wary of innovation in the fields of medical science, transportation, and
communication, preferring old methods out of suspicion. In past, On many occasions, World peace was shattered by
fear mongers telling masses to fear of the enemy at the gate, feeding millions of lives to tanks. Wars has been waged
through propagating fear and hatred employing media as a tool. Today, the world peace is once again at risk in the
wake of rising intolerance and suspicion towards each other among Western, Confucius and Muslim civilizations.
Global development is also on reverse gear in the face of unfolding events of Brexit and Trade wars among major
economies in the name of fear of immigrants, losing jobs and economic dividends. Gender inequality is rampant owing
to male distrust and fear of other gender. While the founders of Pakistan dreamed of a welfare state but fear and
suspicion pushed it towards becoming a security state, spending on arms, indulging in regional proxies, and bowing to
religious fanatics. However, we can only live our dreams when we are able to leave fear-based irrational behaviors as
fears generate insecurities and irrational behaviors, which, in turn, thwart the realization of dreams of individuals as well
as of nations.

The most common fear that fails one in the realization of his dreams is fear of failure. To succeed in any goal is to work
towards that goal, and it starts with taking the very first small step. However, most of us don’t take that very step as we
fear that we might fail. The dream to become a businessman starts with the small investment. The dream to become a
politician starts with socialization. The dream to become a civil servant starts with writing the first page to start the
preparation of its exam. The dream of travel to the places in the world starts with setting up to the first journey. The
dream to live a disciplined life starts with waking up early in the morning. The dream to live a healthy life starts with the
hitting to the gym. However, most of us fail to realize these dreams because we fear of losses in business, we fear
rejection in meeting people, we fear of inadequate vocabulary in writing the first page, we fear of possible difficulties
while traveling, we fear of headaches while waking up early in the morning, we fear of workout pains. These fears of
failures while taking the first step towards our dreams fail us in living our dreams ultimately.

The second most common fear hurting ones dream is better options syndrome leading towards inaction. Voltaire once
observed, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” In life, one encounter with multiple options to move
towards the realisation of his goals. However, when one fears of missing out while continuously missing out
opportunities in hand, he gets stuck in one place resulting in failure. While dreaming of a car, we fear missing out the
perfect colour, price, model, safety, capacity, and appearance when it comes to buying, making it impossible to buy at
all. Same can be observed in social situations. While dreaming of a strong connection with family, we fear missing out
something on facebook or twitter on a family dinner. While dreaming of reading a book, we fear missing out a movie
show. While dreaming of a safe driving, we fear missing out a conversation on phone. While dreaming of a recreational
activity to come out of the digital world, we fear of missing out yet a snapchat story missing out the joy of sunrise on a
beach. Living the fear of missing out ultimately push us towards missing our dreams.

Another major fear in our lives is fear of change. Fear of change works hard to convince him that change is bad for him.
It usually derives its roots from the fear of the unknown. Fearing change, people keep dragging in jobs for which they
have no passion for, abandoning opportunities for their dream career paths. Many of us feel paralyzed by changing
something that other perceives as key to our identity fearing losing identity. Living a life without changes and
adjustments would mean living the life without dreams.

World history is a story of broken dreams in the hand of fear. Suspicion of new technology and new methods kept many
civilisations backward. For great philosopher Socrates, who lived in what was primarily an oral culture, the writing was a
threat to society. The invention of the printing press was feared that it would undermine the religious teachings through
the printing of fake versions of religious books. Likewise, Nazism was a manifestation of the fear politics which
shattered the dream of maintaining world peace at the cost of 5million lives. Cold War era was also another reflection of
the fear of opposite ideologies which has kept the world under siege for half a century. Havoc on Iraq was brought by
lobbies fearing that Iraq might have chemical weapons which history proved wrong but Iraq was on the ground until the
reality came in. All these fear mongering and fear politics and suspicion of the technology came with the end of dreams
of millions.

Fear is a powerful emotion that has the potential of taking over our lives even when there is no rational threat. World
peace is at risk every time fear, suspicion and hatred take charge of mind in lieu of reason. Sometimes, fear is used as a
weapon of war and most of the times it is the direct cause behind the war. The clash of civilisations thesis represents
the fear deeply rooted in political realism. The real agenda underlying the thesis presented by Huntington is
perpetuating Western dominance and hegemony on the globe through the creation of a new enemy and the generation
of fear and hatred against it in the public mind. Western policy and rhetoric after September 11 seem to have officially
adopted the Clash of Civilizations theory. Islamophobia in the West has gone mainstream and has generated a militant
response from the Muslim world. This creates a vicious cycle of hostility breeding conflict. If the trend continues, the
Clash of Civilizations might become a self-fulfilling prophecy, resulting in another world war which would end the dream
of peace and prosperity.

Moreover, Under the guise of fear of weapons of mass destruction, the world has been pushed into a false sense of
urgency, ultimately justifying invasions in Iraq, Afghanistan. Today, employing the same modus operandi, Iran is being
threatened by America. Syrian civil war is another manifestation of fear of losing grounds, power and economic interest
in the region for waging war. Fear-driven involvement of regional and international actors have fuelled violence in
Afghanistan, Iraq, the Syrian civil war and African countries resulting into unprecedented bloodshed. Fear about the
intentions of the other states can lead to war even when all the states are desperate to avoid it. Today, the nuclear arms
race is the manifestation of fear of surprise attack which arises from the theories like preemptive or preventive first
strikes.

In addition to threatening world peace, fear also plays role in hampering world economy and prosperity by propelling
protectionism, limiting free movement of people, capital and goods. Hard-won economic prosperity through
globalization, gender equality, and the liberal economy are fading away with the rise of populism and jingoism which
employ terror as a tool. Reversal of dreams of Economic interconnection is deep-rooted in irrational fears. People who
voted for the Brexit, to leave EU, feared immigration. World leaders who are waging economic war, pushing world
economies on the verge of collapse, fear unemployment in their states. The USA is moving towards protectionism
which is evident from the recent tariffs on Chinese goods. China is retaliating, which, in turn, can cause a global
economic slowdown, reaching a point of collapse in the international financial system.

Women, who are half the sky, have been held down for too long by fear. Fear of what people will say, Fear of the
unknown, of the society, Fear of not being heard, Fear of not getting another man to marry silences a raped girl. Fear
grips not only women; it claws deep in the brains of men too. Fear has caused violence perpetrated against women by
those who fear progress in the struggle for a more equitable distribution of power, status and wealth. Unfortunately,
many men are unaware that they have unconscious fears about women’s power. The conscious people work hard to
find it, own it and release it. But others do translate it into insecurities and irrational behaviors. Fear rules the world and
keeps us fixed on a spot though it seems we are moving.

Pakistan is no exception. Soon after the partition, it began fearing hegemonic designs of India. In the process, it started
formulating its foreign policy with the lens of insecurity ignoring the guidelines given by its founder, Muhammad Ali
Jinnah. Ignoring the dream of neutrality between World major powers in ongoing Cold War, it joined the western block.
Its domestic policy drifted away from the concept of welfare state. Ignoring the dreams of providing healthcare, better
education, and infrastructure to its people, it started heavy spending on arms and munitions. It took abrupt foreign
policy decisions fearing stringent measures from the world, leading towards first supporting Taliban regime and then
declaring a war on them, which cost the country millions of lives and billions of dollars as well as the dreams of peace,
stability, and prosperity.

Above issues have reflected on a point that irrational fears and pointless insecurities contribute towards the halting our
dreams individually as well as collectively. Therefore, the only way to achieve the goals of prosperity, economic security,
gender equality, global peace, and harmony lies in living the life without fears and insecurities. Instead of fearing the
failure, we should take the first step towards our dream. Instead of fearing missing out, we should focus on the bird in
hand. Instead of fearing change, we must embrace it with open arms for the sake of a better future. Instead of fearing
dominance and military giants, we should move towards dreams of peace and prosperity. Instead of fearing what
others would think. We should speak out against oppression and inequality. For Pakistan, the state must come out of
security dilemma and should formulate independent foreign as well as domestic policies. In this way, the world would
be the better place to live the one's dreams without living one’s fears.