“A child goes missing every 40 seconds in the U.S., over 2,100 per day.”- Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). While this fact is staggering, I am not surprised by the information related to my own fear of being kidnapped. The fear of being kidnapped would cripple most to never truly enjoy life; however, I have the ability to cope with the idea and prepare if it were to occur in the future.
In the article “How to Overcome Fear and Anxiety,” the author states, “Fear is
one of the most powerful emotions. It has a very strong effect on your mind and body.” Having the fear of being kidnapped can have a very strong effect on the choices we chose to make. Although I have never had a personal experience or a loved one experience the act of being kidnapped, I still have an event that triggered this fear. I knew I was afraid of being kidnapped after watching the movie I Am Elizabeth Smart. In the movie, it displays the indescribable true story of Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapping. She was kidnapped at age fourteen in the middle of the night, from her home in Salt Lake City. Her capturer, Brian David Mitchell and his wife Wanda Barzee, held Elizabeth captive for nine months, on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, and later, in San Diego County, California. Smart was also rapped by Mitchell every single day of those nine months. I couldn’t possibly imagine the roller coaster of emotions and fear Elizabeth went through. Hopefully, she had coping mechanisms to get herself through that torture. Thankfully, she was rescued eighteen miles away from her home, Salt Lake City, in Sandy, Utah on March 12, 2003. This movie was an enlightening experience for me on the topic of how anything can happen at any time. I have been very cautious as to where I go and my surroundings. My fear of being kidnapped is just another example how strong of an emotion and effect fear has on us.
My fear of being kidnapped started almost a year ago, and since then it has been worse and better at times. The worst my fear has ever been was at the beginning, when I realized that being kidnapped was one of my fears. After learning some coping methods, such as remembering a specific bible verse and praying to God, my fear progressively became better. Although my fear was getting better, I was still very cautious of my surroundings and was always on high alert everywhere I went. Here recently my fear has gotten worse because of a statistic I read, about a week ago, on the topic of how many people get kidnapped per year and the information was overwhelming. The article “Raw Data: Kidnapping statistics” states, “According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children…nearly 800,000 children are reported missing each year. That's more than 2,000 a day.” After discovering this frightening information, I was in complete shock and quite frankly I was a bit scared. Those numbers are preposterous and something should be done about it. Maybe if more children were afraid, or had the fear, of being kidnapped they would be more aware and cautious of their surroundings. If children had classes or educational programs to inform them of the kidnapping statistics, how kidnapping happens, and/or how to avoid being kidnapped then maybe the kidnapping numbers would decrease. If kidnappers were to be sentenced to a longer and more harsh punishment, then maybe the statistics wouldn’t be as high as it is today. If only we as a country, as a society, and as a whole would do more to protect each other and to inform each other, then the fear of wondering if my child, sister, brother, cousin, etc. is going to be kidnapped on their home from school, while their at a friends house, in the park, at the grocery store, etc. wouldn’t be a problem like it is today.
“Feararchy” is thought as a form of hierarchy consisting of the five basic fears: extinction, mutilation, loss of autonomy, separation, and ego death. Each one of those five basic fears has sub-fears that go along with it. For example, my fear of being kidnapped is a sub-fear to the fear of loss of autonomy. According to “Practical Intelligence: the Art and Science of Common Sense,” by Karl Albrecht, “Loss of autonomy- the fear of being immobilized, paralyzed, restricted, enveloped, overwhelmed, entrapped, imprisoned, smothered, or otherwise controlled by circumstances beyond our control.” (1). The fear of being kidnapped falls under the “feararchy” of loss of autonomy because when kidnapped a person is controlled by circumstances beyond their own control. The victim has no control as to what the kidnapper does to them. Everything the victim may get to eat, drink, or do is completely beyond their control and is up to the kidnapper. The fear of being kidnapped also falls under the “feararchy” of loss of autonomy because when kidnapped a person is restricted and imprisoned. A kidnapper may keep the victim restricted from the outside world and keep the imprisoned inside.
My fear, of being kidnapped, hurts and helps me in several positive and negative ways. In the article “Fear, Anxiety, and Guilt After A Traumatic Event,” Northern Illinois University states,“Fear lets you know there MAY be danger. Recognize the danger and adapt to it. You only get to know a risk when you take it and taking the risk builds self-confidence.” (1). My fear hurts me by it having control of what choices I make. For example, when friends or family ask me to go out, I choose to stay home instead. I do this because I start to overthink the possibilities of getting kidnapped or took away from my loved ones. This fear also hurts me by me not going to certain places, areas, or functions. I avoid certain places because I get scared of the chance of getting kidnapped there. In the previous mentioned quote it states, “You only get to know a risk when you take it and taking the risk builds self-confidence.” (Northern Illinois University, 1). Because my fear gets so intense at times, I can not go have fun and take risks that may help me build my self-confidence, instead I choose to avoid the outside world and stay home, where I feel safe. Although this fear does hurt me in several negative ways, it also helps me in a positive way that benefits myself. My fear helps me by allowing myself to be very cautious and very observant to my surroundings. The fear of being kidnapped also helps me to consider the possible outcomes or dangers out of situations or decisions I make or plan to make. Despite the fact that my fear helps me, I still have coping method for when my fear hurts me.
Growing up in a christian family and neighborhood, I have always been around and known the Lord. The Lord has helped me through various personal problems and continues to help me everyday. When my fear starts to get in my way, I remember a verse from the Holy Bible that has helped me through a lot. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 Holy Bible). In this verse God is commanding us to be strong and to have courage because he is always with us. This verse also tells us not to be afraid or to fear because God is with us always. From this verse we can also gather that God will never abandon us so we shall fear nothing. This verse has helped me so many times with not only my fear of being kidnapped but with change, new beginnings, hardships, and so many other things. By remembering this verse I feel as though I can do anything and nothing can stop me because God is on my side. If more people were to know God or know what God can do for them, then they wouldn’t be as afraid to make their own choices and decisions as they are right now. People would be able to feel like they could do anything, they would overcome battles they have been battling for years, and they would overcome fear by knowing God and what the could do for them.
The fear of being kidnapped cripples most to never truly enjoying life. This fear holds people back from going and doing things in the outside world. If people were more educated about kidnapping, how to prevent, how to handle situations when being kidnapped, and how to avoid being kidnapped, then the fear and the statistics of being kidnapped wouldn’t be bad as it is today. If people who have the fear of being kidnapped or have any fear at all, knew that God is always with them and that the will not forsake them, then most people would be able to live life without fear holding them back from living life.