Living With Fear

ROXANAa is afraid to tell her husband that she wants to take a part-time job. When she asked him for the bus fare to visit her mother, he hit Roxana so hard that she needed medical treatment. She lives in constant fear.

Rolando used to let his wife return home at night on public transportation, but now he picks her up in the car. There have been so many reports of violence in the neighborhood that he fears for her safety.

Haidé works in the center of a capital city. Once as she was trying to get home, she was caught up in a protest march that turned violent. Now every time she hears marchers going by, she feels tense. “I don’t feel safe,” she says. “I don’t want to work here anymore. But I have no choice.”

Roxana, Rolando, and Haidé are affected by fear​—and not just when an emergency arises. It is something that affects them constantly. When people have to live with fear, they may feel sapped of their energy. Fear can rob them of enjoyment by preventing them from doing what they want to do. Fear can dominate people’s thinking and can prevent them from concentrating on other things.

Living with fear is highly stressful. It often leads to depression and can ruin a person’s health. “Stress suppresses the immune system and is a contributing factor in most diseases,” explains a health magazine. “The body will develop symptoms of wear and tear, especially on the organs involved. Hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, gastrointestinal disorders, ulcers, headaches, insomnia, depression, and anxiety can develop. Prolonged time in this mode results in exhaustion.”

In today’s world it is common for people to live with fear. Will we ever see a world where people can enjoy life without fear?

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