Fear vs. Love

When I was a child, I was terrified of all insects. The most disturbing thing about them was not their appearance, but their unpredictable movements. Often times, I found myself in a stare down with a creepy-crawly, then screaming and flapping my hands as it suddenly flew towards my face.

Even grasshoppers, one of the most innocent of insects, terrified me.

One afternoon, as I sat building a hill out of a mound of dirt, I was horrified to see a grasshopper land on my arm. But this grasshopper did not display signs of ill intent, in fact, it was missing a leg. Was this grasshopper not just “a man like me?” (X145) I actually felt pity for this poor creature, which only wanted a resting point. It did not land purposefully on my arm because it knew I would be alarmed. “Can I see another’s woe, and not be in sorrow too?” (X142)

Love – is it the answer to everything?

“I remember a land where all were good” (X164), but because diversity and evolution, fear has shaped and transformed our society. There is still “good” in this world, but it is preceded by fear and lack of understanding. In regards to “fear vs. love”, I don’t necessarily associate love, but understanding as being the solution to ending fear. The way to battle fear is understanding, and of course, the omniscient idea of compassion. Only with understanding and compassion can come the eventual love, and a way to conquer any preexisting notions. This has been shown in various cases, from religious and racial intolerance, to the relationship between humans and animals.

Robert Frost wrote many poems regarding nature, and explores the relationship between man and nature.

The Most of It, a poem by Robert Frost, explains the dependence between man and nature. What is the source of nature, he asks? The natural world does not share our human sentiments, and man is insignificant and powerless compared to nature. Yet many seem to think that nature can be a source of cruelty and fear. I disagree: cruelty is a choice, and nature cannot choose. “Cruelty has a human heart, and jealousy a human face” (X146). I associate jealousy, hatred, and evil with humans, for it is not nature’s choice to do something; it is “that way for a reason.” (X159) For example, many carnivores “are not idle predators; when they kill, they kill to eat” (X154), whereas it is a sport in the human world to kill.