A Random Discussion of Fear

1. TORNADOES

2. SCORPIONS

3. SHARKS

Fear. What is it, what causes it? Fear is defined online as “ a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.” This definition fits well for what I consider a fear. As far as how they are generated throughout our life, I guess through different experiences. I am going to tell you a story about my three biggest fears. In order they are: Tornadoes, Scorpions, and Sharks.

1. I think my fear of tornadoes comes from living in Ohio, where in the summer time, they are pretty frequent all around the state and all across the Midwest. Nothing scares me more than the idea of a giant funnel coming out of the sky, destroying my home and possibly quite literally sucking my life away. The movie Twister did not help me get over this. Ever since I was little I have hated thunderstorms for the sheer fact that I feel like every time the sky turns black, I am going to get sucked into oblivion by a funnel. Two summers ago, while working for a paper, I had to go storm chasing, and while standing in the middle of a cornfield facing my greatest fear, the clouds began to spin, and here one came…the funnel made it about half way down through the sky, and instantly sucked itself back up. I have to admit I have never felt so small and insignificant as I did then. What scares me the most about tornadoes is our complete inability to stop them. I have recurring dreams of Tornadoes all of the time. I feel like half of the people I have ever met either love or hate storms. I put myself in the latter category.

2. Scorpions. The movie “Hook” with Robin Williams (honestly one of my favorites) has a scene where hook feels that someone has betrayed him, so he throws the man in what is known as “The Boo Box.” If you aren’t familiar with the film, it is a casket like box filled with poisonous scorpions. I am now terrified of the small creatures. If you actually look at one, they are really quite beautiful little creatures, but that is as far as I will go, and even looking at them makes me squeamish. Let it be known that I am not a girl who is afraid of bugs/small creatures; in fact I am working on a sound sculpture right now that incorporates live Madagascar hissing cockroaches. I don’t have much to say on the matter other than I would prefer to not live somewhere where they are in abundance.

3. My final fear. Sharks. This fear has nothing to do with Jaws II, III, or I. This is the one fear that I have no idea where it stems from. But I’m not big on the ocean to begin with. The sand gets in your teeth, if you lay in it, its all over everything, and the unknowns of the ocean just make me not what to venture in it to find what has not been found yet. I think that is why sharks are on my top three lists of things that I am afraid of. Don’t get me wrong, I have been to the Ocean, and I love it, but I don’t like to interact with it. I love walking the beach, it’s relaxing, but lurking around in the waters of the ocean is the farthest thing from relaxing that I can think of.


What are your fears? Are they physical things, or emotional, or situational? I know many people fear things like death (or things that lead to death, which most of mine are), or are they more like the fear of embarrassment, failure etc…I know this was more of a discussion rather than a story, but it has been on my mind all weekend. Until next time