Eduardo Galeano, a fiery Latin American writer, journalist, and historian, has written a massive and unrelenting portrait of the dangers, lies, and ethical travesties inherent in First World lifestyles, consumerism, and mythology. The world, he contends, is a captive of fear, and that is only compounding our problems and making it difficult for us to love our neighbors. Here's how he sees fear manifesting.
Global Fear
"Those who work are afraid they'll lose their jobs.
Those who don't are afraid they'll never find one.
Whoever doesn't fear hunger is afraid of eating.
Drivers are afraid of walking and pedestrians are afraid of getting run over.
Democracy is afraid of remembering and language is afraid of speaking.
Civilians fear the military, the military fears a shortage of weapons, weapons fear a shortage of wars.
It is the time of fear.
Women's fear of violent men and men's fear of fearless women.
Fear of thieves, fear of the police.
Fear of doors without locks, of time without watches, of children without television; fear of night without sleeping pills and day without pills to wake up.
Fear of crowds, fear of solitude, fear of what was and what could be, fear of dying, fear of living."
