The Only Thing To Fear...

Inspired by the book I'm currently reading Buried Alive: The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal Fear, I've decided this week's topic is fear/phobias.

Though it's an interesting book, I can't say that I really have a fear of being buried alive. With medical practices and embalming being what they are now, I doubt such an accident could happen. That's not to say that someone wouldn't do it on purpose, but as of right now I can't name anyone who would want to do that to me. However, I suppose you could be embalmed or autopsied alive (for a rather frightening story about that read Autopsy Room 4 in Everything's Eventual by Stephen King).

I started to think about fears and phobias and how powerful they are, along with what some of mine are. Some of the scariest characters in books and movies to me, are the ones that turn into or prey off their victims' fears. Even though the movie was pretty bad, It still scares me a little. I even sometimes have nightmares about Pennywise the clown, but I still watch it, and still read books that terrify me.

Fears and phobias dictate our behavior. For example I have a fear of heights - not necessarily of being up high, but of falling from them. It's so extreme that I can't get near the edge of a dropoff, even if there's a railing. My dad has the same phobia, and we were talking about it the other night. However mine can be extreme, for example: I didn't like being on the walkways at the Virgin Megastore in Orlando. The railings were maybe waist-high and had mostly glass with a metal bar on top, and I was convinced if I accidentally tripped and fell (not far-fetched if you know me) that I would smash through the glass and break my back when I fell on the Cd racks below. Completely irrational. That's not to say that I didn't go up to the second floor, but it always made me nervous.

I also have a fear of spiders. I can't say that I've ever been bitten by one, but they creep me out. When I was in 10th grade Glenn and I were filming a movie, and we had to run through the woods. After the take, we were walking back and I ran into a spiders web. Gross, but after I freaked out and I didn't see a spider on me, I kept walking. So we were standing around while Matt or someone put up the camera, when Jeremy says "Don't move - there's a huge banana spider on your back". So what do I do? Immediately rip off my jacket (luckily I was wearing one) and threw it to the ground. The guys got it off for me, and though I didn't see it (I was told it was as big as my hand), it left a nasty neon green/yellow web behind.

Just a few years ago, I had another incident. I was taking a shower, when I looked up and saw this giant black, hairy spider above the doorway to the bathroom. My first reaction was to jump out of the shower and leave (there were thankfully 2 doors), but I had already started shampooing, so I stayed - never taking my eyes off the spider. I decided that if he moved I was getting out ASAP, breaking the door down if I had to. Thankfully he didn't move, and after I got out my mom called my grandpa over. Being the faithful entomologist he is, he killed it with bug spray and then put it in a solution in a jar so he could look up what it was. Obviously I wasn't hurt in either case, but I could have been bitten (although I don't think either was poisonous), so I don't think the fear completely irrational. I can be near spiders without killing them too - if they're small and not near me. If they're hanging out anywhere near or above someplace I have to walk by - goodbye Boris.

An interesting fear to me is the fear of technology taking over. It's the premise of the Terminator movies, and others like Maximum Overdrive. I found this article on BBC not too long ago. For anyone not willing to read it, or wanting a short synopsis, a study done by the British government said that in the next 20- 50 years, robots could be granted rights equal to humans. It also said that if granted, the government would have to provide social benefits including housing, and even "robo-healthcare" - of course they would have to pay taxes too. Are we living in a scifi novel? Is Isaac Asimov advising the British government? I read this and laugh, but you know there are people out there - the extreme techno-phobes like Ted Kaczynski, who would read that and be terrified (or start their plans to take out all robots).

Going with the theme of the week I thought I'd include a link to The Pop-up Book of Phobias. There's also The Pop-up Book of Nightmares. I bought that one for my friend Java as a wedding present, with the stipulation that she keep it on the bedside table in her guest bedroom. Last time I talked to her, she does, and it creeps her mother out when she stays over.