Fear is costly in other ways too. I wonder what percentage of national health costs are directly related to conditions caused by fear. Think about it. All the mental conditions brought about by psychologically exagerrated fears. The stress-related diseases, high blood pressure, ulcers and the like.
Fear costs our society millions each year in health costs.
Behind all these fears lurks that most sinister fear of all. The fear we try to ignore, and spend all our lives trying to distract ourselves from. From dust we came and to dust we must return. Before I was a Christian, I lived in constant fear of death. It made it very hard to see much reason in life.