Fear (fir) n.—a distressing emotion aroused by an impending pain, danger, evil, etc., or by the illusion of such.
The dark.
Ghosts.
Things that go bump in the night.
Lightning and thunder.
Alligators in the water around your bed?
Halloween is almost here. What once was a fun holiday filled with goofy costumes, trick-or-treating, bobbing for apples, and other frivolous activities, now brings to mind images of fright, evil, horror, and fear.
Should we be afraid, be very afraid? Do we really have nothing to fear but fear itself?
Psychologists have debated the essence of fear for decades, in many cases arguing that it is a conditioned response. Truly, our culture teaches us to have fears, and, in some cases, even capitalizes on them.
The fear of sharks is a perfect example. People have always feared sharks, but not as much as they do since Jaws (Peter Benchley’s novel and Steven Spielberg’s film) found its way into popular culture during the ’70s. Now, all it takes is one report about a shark attack, and no one will go swimming in the ocean for months. But think about it for a moment.
It’s a big ocean, and exactly how many sharks are there near the places you would go swimming? Statistically speaking, you have a greater chance of getting run over by a car while crossing the street than you do of being eaten by a shark when you go swimming in the ocean. But have we been taught to fear automobiles? Do we suddenly stop crossing the street because we see or hear a news report about someone being hit by a car? I don’t know. Maybe we would be more afraid of cars if the movie version of Stephen King’s novel, Christine, directed by John Carpenter, had done better at the box office.
Are you afraid of the dark? You can run this simple test to find out.
Tonight, after the sun goes down, lock all the doors in your house, townhouse or condo, and turn off all the lights. Then, look for these facial expressions of fear—–your eyes widening, pupils dilating, brows drawing together, and lips stretching horizontally. If you experience any of these, remember the old saying:
