Many a brave person has been terrified by the future, and what it holds for them and their loved ones.  The future by itself is quite fearful sometimes, causing excessive worry and loss of sleep to countless individuals.

There is a certain fear of things you know about, such as death, taxes and disease, and concerns over things like children growing up and starting out on their own has frightened many parents out of their minds.  But there is also the fear of the unknown, that monster hiding under the bed, or the stranger lurking in the shadows on your walk home or to the car in the parking lot.

Different types of fears and worries, but both with the same or very similar feelings.

That is kind of where we stand with the current presidential election coming up in November.  On one hand, you have the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party, Donald Trump, over whom many have voiced concerns about his short temper and knee-jerk reactions to situations.  On the other is the Democratic presumptive nominee, Hillary Clinton, part of the established Washington climate and long-time public servant.

But both have their frightening sides, and it’s hard to say which is the most frightening.

Clinton is the known.  She has quite a long public record to examine.  Unfortunately, it is littered with scandal and failure, and a propensity to change her message to suit whatever crowd to which she is speaking on a particular day.  If you try to list her accomplishments, other than getting elected or appointed, it is hard to come up with anything that would seem to qualify her as a successful servant of the general public.  Despite that, she has some of the most fervent supporters, who will vote for her, no matter the situation.

She may not have been directly linked to all the scandals surrounding her and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, but as goes the old adage, where there is smoke, there is fire.  And when the list grows as long as hers, it’s hard to imagine she is squeaky clean, though she may well be.

Also, with all that going on around her, being unaware of it is probably more concerning than actively participating in it.  Would you want someone as president that couldn’t see the forest for the trees?

Trump, called by many a loose cannon, has his own set of problem areas to most voters.  Can a person as perceived as a hot-head as he is in the public eye, successfully complete a diplomatic resolution to a crisis?  Would his first instinct be attack, either verbally or militarily?  That is a very valid concern, and one that could impact the safety and security of the United States.

Trump also has a history of changing his position, depending on his needs, and has evidenced his instinct to strike back at his critics.  Voters are concerned his “my way or the highway” attitude would not lead to partisan compromise and an efficiently-run government.

But maybe that is what is needed to shake up the established gridlock in the nation’s capital and our elected representatives.  Partisan politics has resulted in little or nothing being done to help the economy, our nation’s security and the ever-widening divide between races and gender groups in the US.

The recent flap over gun control legislation is a microcosm of the problems with the two-party government we have now.   Everyone wants to prevent terrorists from purchasing and owning firearms, but the legislative bodies can’t compromise on any ideas of enacting a bill to prevent it.  Both sides have dug in and refuse to move, simply because that would appear weak and the parties would lose face with their hard core supporters.

November is a short time away, and between now and then, voters will have to choose between a possibly confrontational Republican president and a status-quo Democratic candidate, wanting to continue the failed policies of her predecessor, and even extend the reach of the federal government.

Both choices are quite terrifying.