Fear​—Friend or Foe?

“I think about how I want to die. I don’t want to get shot, but if I do, I want to get shot in the head right here, so I die instantly.”

A REPORTER for the Los Angeles Times heard that from a 14-year-old girl. He was interviewing students about recent killings​—youths killing both adults and other youths. The report was entitled: “The World of Fear.”

You cannot fail to know that many live in a world of fear. Fear of what? It would be hard to single out any one fear. See if you can find in the adjacent box things that your friends or many people in your area fear. The box is from Newsweek of November 22, 1993, and it shows the results of a poll of “758 children between the ages of 10 and 17, along with their parents.”

[Box on page 3]

Asked what concerns them and their families most, adults and children say they fear:

CHILDREN PARENTS

56% Violent crime against family member 73%

53% An adult losing a job 60%

43% Not being able to afford food 47%

51% Not being able to afford a doctor 61%

47% Not being able to afford shelter 50%

38% Family member having drug problem 57%

38% Their family won’t stay together 33%

Source: Newsweek, November 22, 1993