Electric Magazine Volume VII (Winter '19) | Page 3

EDITOR'S NOTE Welcome, old and new readers alike, to the seventh volume of the Electric Literary Magazine. This volume is sure to enlighten yet challenge readers on their perspective of fear and how it impacts humankind. When considering how people choose to react to fear, the phrase “fight or flight” often comes to mind, but this is actually a simplification of how creatures react to fear. In reality, there are four main mechanisms animals use in response to a dangerous situation: fight, freeze, flight, and fright. This is why the saying “like a deer in headlights” is common - it's an example of the freeze mechanism. These are all responses to instinctual fears that all animals have - in humans, however, this only covers one of the five basic fears. This is the fear of mutilation, or the fear of physical danger. According to Dr. Karl Albrecht, all humans share five fundamental fears, and all of these fears can be found in some form in the pieces our team wrote. The five fundamental fears are Extinction, Mutilation, Loss of Autonomy, Separation, and Ego-Death. These fears can be put in a hierarchy of sorts, of how much they can affect a person’s life. All fears can be boiled down to one of these five. The stories in this volume all focus on different types of fear. Tyler St. Amant’s poetry piece, titled, "Solus Beach", leaves the reader questioning what truly defines humanity, as an extreme form of the fear of separation. Andrew Hunt’s nonfiction perspective story, “A Schizophrenic Naysayer”, showcases a personal account of learning how to give grace in the middle of a fearful situation, while James Gomez’s fiction story, “Not What it Seems”, gives a chilling view on the fear of mutilation, or lack of safety. Electric invites you to understand your fears in order to overcome them. Literacy Love, Mia Garza Editor in Chief: Mia Garza Design Directors: Alexandra Loza, Emilia Ortiz Publicist: Andrew Hunt Copy-Editors: Ximena Acosta Gomez, James Gomez, Tyler ST. Amant (Team Lead) Business Manager: Matthew Garcia-Ramirez Social Media Marketing Director: Brenden DeVilla Marketing: Erika Arellano, Laura Flores, Priscilla Soriano (Team Lead) Are you interested in placing an advertisement or sponsoring Electric? Please contact [email protected] for inquiries. Media: Gerardo Hernandez, Jocelyn Incez, Joshua Rodriguez, Michelle Salas Designers: Martyr Tavares, Alexandra Loza, Emilia Ortiz, Carolina Herrera, Bryana Maldonado-Ramirez Writers: Brenden DeVilla, Matthew Garicia-Ramirez, Mia Garza, James Gomez, Andrew Hunt, Jocelyn Incez, Bryana Maldonado-Ramirez, Priscilla Soriano, Tyler St. Amant, Martyr Tavares Front Cover Art: Martyr Tavares