"Fear is the mother of morality"

~Friedrich Nietzsche

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Debate continues to swirl, and likely always will, about which emotion drives human behavior most. Fear is certainly a top contender. Fears often trace back to a fear of death, the ultimate unknown. Even people who proclaim they're not afraid of dying experience acute nervous system activation amidst a near-death experience. If we were not afraid, we would not survive. Fear leads to self-preservation, community-preservation, and life preservation. Fear also leads to destruction, terror, and death. The best and worst of humanity is often motivated by fear. Anyone who is honest with themselves is afraid. Those who develop a relationship with fear and approach it harness fear's transformational light. Those who run and hide from fear end up lost in the blackness of fear's shadow, in the dark night of the soul. Here, our collection of songs honors musicians courageous enough to explore their own shadow to channel and share fear's light with the world.