Fear is the greatest motivator of all time. Conflict born of fear is behind our every action, driving us forward like the cogs of a clock. Fear is desire’s dark dress, its doppelgänger. “Love and dread are brothers,” says Julian of Norwich. As desire is wanting and fear is not-wanting, they become inexorably linked; just as desire can be destructive (the desire for power), fear can be constructive (fear of hurting another); fear of poverty becomes desire for wealth.

Love of God is sometimes expressed as fear of those who do not believe in my god.

Love of my country can unfold into fear of those who claim another country.

Love of self may become fear of others.

But if fear is the outcome, can love truly be the cause?

Perhaps it is a lover's doubt regarding the beloved that prompts such fierce defense.