Fear is one of the leading reasons that influence how we make important decisions. The dictionary defines fear as "A feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger." This feeling, present in everyone's life at some point, is more influential then one might think. Everywhere in the world, today people live in fear. Whether it is because of terrorism, robbery, or something as simple as criticism, this feeling of apprehension causes people to do drastic things. These drastic things might not be the normal reaction of a person had fear not been present.
             Numerous embarrassing disasters in human history can be blamed on fear. The Holocaust rooted in fear of people that were other than Aryans. Thousands of Jewish people were killed at the hand of one man, a man who could evoke fear and anger in the hearts of many people. Fear of differences between cultures has been the cause of copious wars. Even today there is constant conflict between different religions because of the apprehension that the other religion is dangerous. After September 11th, life as Americans knew it completely changed. The threat of possible terrorist attacks has thrown the United States into having major security procedures to make the American people feel at ease. With just one major attack on U.S. soil, citizens were thrown into a national feeling of panic and fear. Airports became impossible to get through, and paranoia filled the minds of everyone in major cities. Everyone became the enemy. Studies report that it was fear itself that slid the economy into lower prosperity than before.
             Some philosophers state that the only thing to fear is fear itself. Fear holds each back from accomplishing their greatest dreams in life. One might not take a vacation in the tropical islands simply because of a fear of flying. For all they know, this vacation could have been necessary to relax for health reasons. Thousands of phobias are constant...