If you are feeling fear these days, worried about the encroaching fascism you see, know that it is by design.

People are who are fearful are easier to manipulate. People who are fearful will do terrible things in order to feel safe – turn in their neighbors, act in ways that are opposite their own values. History shows us this, time and again. How many people, accused of communism during the hearings of the House Un-American Activities Committee, “named names” of others they knew?

I see politicians this week, desperately trying to use the fallout of the shooting of Charlie Kirk to bolster their own tepid careers. They want to look scary, because they equate that with looking strong.

Don’t let them. Call their bluff. Best of all, laugh.

Yes, laugh! Make fun! There is power in ridicule and when you see leaders behaving so contrary to democracy, to the rule of law, yes, that is the time to mock them. Ha-ha! The Emperor has no clothes on!

Here’s a term you may not have heard: laughtivism. “When people laugh at an oppressive regime, this erodes its authority.” 

Laughter has the added benefit of reducing our own anxiety. And so when it comes to the need to laugh, well, I’m as serious as the heart attack I don’t want you to have from being stressed out. I think we all need to make it a priority in our lives.

Last night, I pulled up one specific episode of Star Trek: Voyager. I remembered watching it in the first few months of the pandemic, when I was fairly sick with fear. I commend it to you – it stands alone, you don’t need to watch other episodes to understand what’s happening. It’s called “The Thaw,” and it’s Season Two, Episode 23.

The Captain and her crew wind up fighting a personification of Fear itself. And in the episode, Captain Janeway says exactly what I needed to hear last night:

“You know as well as I do that fear only exists for one purpose: to be conquered.”

Fight fear. Conquer it. And one of the best tools is laughter.