Fear. We all have it. Some more than others. Even the bravest, most daring people still have that one fear that they'd rather die than have to face. But I've been thinking of a more specific fear, instead of that giant list of little things you feel uncomfortable around, or your inability to explore dark rooms alone. I'm talking of a fear that makes you stop and want to hide, that makes you want dive into your safe spot, and never come out again. That fear that we all know we'll have to face sooner or later. I'm not talking about death, but a fear unique to everyone.
For instance, I know guys who are deathly afraid to have kids when they're older, in case they lose their wife in childbirth. But, chances are, that's a fear they're going to have to face. I know girls who are scared stiff to get into a relationship, or even get close to a guy, in case he turns around and beats her, or even rapes her. But chances are, she's going to have to overcome it. I personally am currently scared of growing up. Not the mature aspect, but the real aspect. Like, what am I going to do with my life? I have only one shot, I can't blow it. And I'm reaching that part now when I have to decide. And I'm scared! The ironic part is, I also feel a yearning to grow up and move on with life. Obviously, this is one I'm going to have to work out.
But why is fear so prevalent in life? Why does everybody have at least one thing that makes them want to dive back under their covers, and hide from the "scary monster" like a child at night? Why can't we all just grow up, and stop imagining monsters in our closets?
I think the reason is because there ARE monsters in our closets. Many of these fears are very, very real. Even though we tend to blow them up to be more than they really are, they're still there. Even today, 1 out of every 1,000 women in the U.S. dies during childbirth. Even though that's a LOT better than it was years ago, it's still a very daunting figure for husbands and expecting mothers. On average, 1 out of 5 women will be sexually assaulted by the time she turns 25(I can't remember the exact statistic, but it's something like that....). And as for my current fear today, I've seen so many people die-on TV, in the newspaper, online, even close relatives and friends-and all that their friends and relatives could look at when they were gone was their sad, pathetic, wasted life. I don't want that to happen. I don't want my life to be wasted. I don't want to wake up one day when I'm 80, and feel as though I've wasted it all. Feel as though I should have just ended it when I was 20, and spare the life-long misery and pointlessness.
The fact is, Monsters are real. That scary, tentacled-monster, that you imagined lying under your bed with fangs two feet long, dripping with blood, glowing red, never-blinking eyes, and sharp claws, just sitting there, waiting to snatch you and gobble you up the second you try and poke your foot out of your bed to go to the bathroom was real. And it's gotten even scarier and bigger over the years.
So the question isn't about whether or not there are monsters under your bed. It's about who you're going to run to. Remember how you used to bolt down the hall as fast as you could, and dive into your parents' bed, where you imagined there to be some sort of safety force-field against that monster? Now that that's no longer an option, where are you going to run? Who are you going to seek safety from? I know where I'm hiding. But what about you? That monster is too big to face on your own. Who are you going to hide behind, now that you're too tall to hide behind your mother's skirt? This is a question we all need to ask ourselves. I know where I'm going to hide and be safe. Do you?
For instance, I know guys who are deathly afraid to have kids when they're older, in case they lose their wife in childbirth. But, chances are, that's a fear they're going to have to face. I know girls who are scared stiff to get into a relationship, or even get close to a guy, in case he turns around and beats her, or even rapes her. But chances are, she's going to have to overcome it. I personally am currently scared of growing up. Not the mature aspect, but the real aspect. Like, what am I going to do with my life? I have only one shot, I can't blow it. And I'm reaching that part now when I have to decide. And I'm scared! The ironic part is, I also feel a yearning to grow up and move on with life. Obviously, this is one I'm going to have to work out.
But why is fear so prevalent in life? Why does everybody have at least one thing that makes them want to dive back under their covers, and hide from the "scary monster" like a child at night? Why can't we all just grow up, and stop imagining monsters in our closets?
I think the reason is because there ARE monsters in our closets. Many of these fears are very, very real. Even though we tend to blow them up to be more than they really are, they're still there. Even today, 1 out of every 1,000 women in the U.S. dies during childbirth. Even though that's a LOT better than it was years ago, it's still a very daunting figure for husbands and expecting mothers. On average, 1 out of 5 women will be sexually assaulted by the time she turns 25(I can't remember the exact statistic, but it's something like that....). And as for my current fear today, I've seen so many people die-on TV, in the newspaper, online, even close relatives and friends-and all that their friends and relatives could look at when they were gone was their sad, pathetic, wasted life. I don't want that to happen. I don't want my life to be wasted. I don't want to wake up one day when I'm 80, and feel as though I've wasted it all. Feel as though I should have just ended it when I was 20, and spare the life-long misery and pointlessness.
The fact is, Monsters are real. That scary, tentacled-monster, that you imagined lying under your bed with fangs two feet long, dripping with blood, glowing red, never-blinking eyes, and sharp claws, just sitting there, waiting to snatch you and gobble you up the second you try and poke your foot out of your bed to go to the bathroom was real. And it's gotten even scarier and bigger over the years.
So the question isn't about whether or not there are monsters under your bed. It's about who you're going to run to. Remember how you used to bolt down the hall as fast as you could, and dive into your parents' bed, where you imagined there to be some sort of safety force-field against that monster? Now that that's no longer an option, where are you going to run? Who are you going to seek safety from? I know where I'm hiding. But what about you? That monster is too big to face on your own. Who are you going to hide behind, now that you're too tall to hide behind your mother's skirt? This is a question we all need to ask ourselves. I know where I'm going to hide and be safe. Do you?
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