Category : Articles

Sub Category : Miscellaneous

   So I have been thinking about something that was brought up recently. We all have our fears, which is natural and okay to have. Fear, is the natural self defense mechanism for humans. It prevents us from doing things, such as putting our hands inside the fire or jumping off the roof of a ten sort building. Both of which could injure and kill us. All of us have fears, but when they start to control our life we call them phobias. Phobias are extreme fears of something, such as a major fear of heights would be considered acrophobia. Phobias interfere with your life on a daily basis, some of which could drastically make it harder.
   I have three fears and one of them is a slight phobia. Heights, have always been a problem for me. This is actually the phobia I mentioned, and though some of you may find this funny I can assure you it's not a laughing matter to me. As I stated, I have a major fear of heights. In High School, I almost had a heart attack every time I had to go up to the third floor. Whenever I'm on a high level, I have difficulty looking out windows. My legs start to feel tight and my arms feel numb. What's worse about this, as I don't even have to be that high to have that kind of discomfort. Even when I'm playing a game, I can see my character on top of the mountain and I feel that tightness building up in my legs. I know that might sound silly, but it's true and has been that way for a long time.
   My fear started whenever I was a boy, I always did have trouble going up and down sets of stairs. This did not change for me, As I grew older. It turned into a phobia, when I was still young. My brother and I had moved, and we were playing by the bridge. I remember vividly we had a rope, and my brother tied it around the rail. I was terrified, and he told me to climb down the rope. He assured me I would be okay, but I never could trust him. I lost my grip at the top and fell. About six feet down I grabbed the rope, but slid down it leaving burns on my hands. It was about a 25-30 feet drop, that had changed my life forever. I decided not to let it control my life.
   In college, I had the female composition Professor that talked about a former student she had. During night class, she had a male student who was terrified of the dark. I heard a few people snicker in my classroom, but she ignored it. She stated, that the boy was terrified of driving during the night as well. Being afraid of something you can't see isn't shameful, in fact, fearing the unknown is probably the most intelligent fear we can have. I couldn't help but feel a connection for this boy, because I have a similar problem. She said that he had always felt embarrassed about it, but after she found out she lended a helping hand to him.
   The only time of phobia is a major threat to someone's health, is when it controls their life and the choices they make. It's also important for these people to have someone around them that cares. Certainly we have fears, some of them are well-placed and some of them are just foolish. As I mentioned, I have two other fears which are well-placed. I hate going over bridges, even if it means I am walking on them. This came forward to me after the incident with the rope, and after I watch a bridge collapsing with civilians on it. That's a natural fear to have after seeing something like that happened. My other fear is not being strong enough to protect the people I care about. When faced with the realization that you fail, after giving something everything you have, it's a cold truth to accept. We have to face it head on, and accept whatever outcome if we want to move forward.
   The cure for phobia is facing your fear and surviving it. This is a difficult task for anybody to come to terms with. It can happen though, as when we survive something that may seem trivial we can do so much more with lives. People that fear to go outside are among the hardest to cure. Some fears are naturally safe though, like not touching poisonous spiders or snakes. It's up to us though to determine what our life will be, and how we make it out become. Certainly we have control over our lives, but a little bit of faith in yourself may not hurt either. Where I get my strength is borrowed from those who care about me, and also the people I long to protect. Without that love and courage, I would surely fail.