Summary of the speech

Rather than speaking of fear, we should speak of fears. And this is why I say they are "liquid" , because they are free to move easily, to detach and attach themselves to one sphere or another.

What we have today is the fear of being inadequate. Today's society does not set rules but allows us to use them. If we lose the chance, it is the responsibility of the individual who did not have the energy or intelligence or didn't try hard enough. So there is a personal, individual responsibility, which in itself risks not taking full advantage of the chances that life offers.

The fear of being inadequate, widespread in today's society, includes the fear of being unable to use new systems and environmental fears. This category is not well defined and is very pervasive. It is a fear that seems to come from every corner. In a world in change, there is for example the fear if not finding takers for skills achieved with hard work, or that of losing our social position, of being thrown out. This is what we see in the reality shows that spectacularise our expectations: who will be eliminated the next time? The impact of fear and inadequacy make us feel vulnerable and exposed. Inadequacy means feeling out of line with the standards. As a result we think we are what we deserve, and when fate turns her back to us we admit that yes, it's our fault.

Existential insecurity is another great fear of our times. It's an ancestral fear that comes of knowing we are all mortal. Human nature is more bearable than that of animals as compensation for the fact that we live with the idea of being mortal. But nature has also given us the means to overcome this ancestral fear: thinking of life after death. And so we live a virtuous life thinking that is the way to earn a place in heaven. And there is a chance to leave a positive memory of our actions. Modern culture does not worry about mortality, but tries to keep busy and live in the present jumping from one thing to the next, so that there is no space to think that we will die one day.

And then there is social insecurity that comes from knowing that in the same way as we are given a place in society, it can sometimes be taken away. As we go ahead we remain attached to this social position, because we are afraid of losing it. The promise of governments and organized society was to free people from this type of fear deriving from social insecurity. This principle was the basis for Roosevelt's ideas: make a citizen's position secure, respectable and honourable, justified, something to be proud of. And this was the social state project, designed to liberate people from the fear of insecurity. For example, society would take care of the weakest when ill and this social aspect would be guaranteed for every human being. This was a system that allowed citizens to go ahead, thinking that it was right to take risks and be brave. Today we have lost not only personal security, but also the ability to think in terms of society, with an individual approach to problems of security.

Modern societies distinguish themselves in their economic and political use of fear. Politicians offer help in fighting these animal fears. And so they help us protect ourselves from purse-snatchers and physical threats to our bodies. Despite the fact that we hear about protecting personal integrity, we are tempted to protect ourselves from aggression, and we have not yet found the way to make these issues our priority.