What are you afraid of?

Gareth Infinity · Post by **Gareth Infinity** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 2:57 am

Saw this a while ago on another forum, lots of interesting replies.

What are your fears/phobias? That is, if you're not apprehensive about telling the whole internet what they are. Maybe that's your fear.

Now I know I have no power over this but please don't post any scary pictures; I want to be able to come back and look at the replies.

Me, I really hate being around bees or other large flying insects. Also very worried about large/deep bodies of water. Women (no joke, and not trying to be offensive to any ladies out there, but most women scare the hell out of me).

Reflective surfaces of most sorts. I hate being in a room with a TV that is not on, because I can always see movement on the screen even if the room is perfectly still, and it freaks me the hell out. I hate mirrors. I hate non-LCD computer monitors.

Windows are terrible. There are windows all over my house and I hate them. Always thinking stuff is gonna be looking in at me. The curtains must be drawn unless I'm trying to cool off the house without running the air or something. When I was much younger we had a deck stretching off the back of the living room, and one of our dogs walked up it and looked in the window. I was sitting with my back to the window, turned around and it was staring right at me. Absolutely terrified me. Earliest scary thing involving a window that I can remember.

Also I was shown an internet "screamer" (scary thing pops up and screams at you) at a young age and I have nightmares about them all the time

But I don't know if that's a fear because, who enjoys those?

Sunstreaker2 · Post by **Sunstreaker2** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 3:02 am

Bees and German women.

Well, 80s music video German women...

RID Scourge · Post by **RID Scourge** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 3:40 am

Hmmm . . . I kinda find german women hot . . .

Gareth Infinity wrote:Also I was shown an internet "screamer" (scary thing pops up and screams at you) at a young age and I have nightmares about them all the time But I don't know if that's a fear because, who enjoys those?

Those things startle me. I wouldn't say I'm scared of them as much as startled by their sudden appearance. If I know it's coming it doesn't bother me. I can see how it might traumatize you if viewed at a young age.

Fears?

People not liking me. Dying alone. The kinda stuff you fear when it took your father 22 years to figure out how to love you and most of your friends growing up don't stick around . . .

Otherwise I'm not really a fearful person. I'm a bit awkward and nervous around people so it might appear like I'm afraid. Oddly enough I get nervous when I'm suggesting stuff to my boss which is odd because I'm usually very comfortable around him.

Gareth Infinity · Post by **Gareth Infinity** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 4:10 am

RID Scourge wrote:Hmmm . . . I kinda find german women hot . . .

+1...I have a really spectacular video that I can't link to on here

Notabot · Post by **Notabot** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 4:29 am

Spiders, insects, bugs... pretty much anything with more than four legs. I'm hyperquadrapodaphobic. Except for bees and wasps, actually. Ladybugs creep me out, but I don't mind when bees, hornets, or wasps are about. I've never figured that one out.

slartibartfast · Post by **slartibartfast** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 4:54 am

Gareth Infinity wrote:Windows are terrible. There are windows all over my house and I hate them. Always thinking stuff is gonna be looking in at me. The curtains must be drawn unless I'm trying to cool off the house without running the air or something.

Quite the opposite in fact. Walls cut me off from the outside world. Actually I'm afraid of solitude. Being on my own freaks me out. edit: silence too... perhaps I could say that I'm afraid of nothing.

Wasn't there some theory that arachnophobia is some ancestral genetic fear from a time where there were giant human eating spiders? Honest I read it somewhere.

Skidmark · Post by **Skidmark** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 5:36 am

Notabot wrote:Spiders, insects, bugs...

Same here. i had a bad experience when a Japanese beetle,they're stupid little buggers, kamikazed into my face a few years ago.

Post by **Blackjack** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:38 am

Me? Spiders. Used to be phobic of them, anyway. Conquered that some time ago. Therapy consisted of watching Eight Legged Freaks.

Cockroaches. Damn them to hell. I'm allergic to them and they're just creepy and everything.

I am also afraid of silence. Explains why I'm a loud mouthed person.

Also boredom. That's scaryyyy.

What else... I'm afraid of those cigarrette lighters in cars. As a 2 year old kid I got burnt by it. Ouch.

Post by **Blackjack** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:39 am

Me? Spiders. Used to be phobic of them, anyway. Conquered that some time ago. Therapy consisted of watching Eight Legged Freaks.

Cockroaches. Damn them to hell. I'm allergic to them and they're just creepy and everything.

I am also afraid of silence. Explains why I'm a loud mouthed person.

Also boredom. That's scaryyyy.

What else... I'm afraid of those cigarrette lighters in cars. As a 2 year old kid I got burnt by it. Ouch.

HOMEWORK.

CounterPunch · Post by **CounterPunch** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:15 am

Usual things like bugs, heights etc etc.

I'm extremely scared of crowds, being in the middle of a crowd, even if its quite a small crowd, when I go to a gig or a concert If I go any further in than the first few people infront of me I start panicking, so imagine me right in the middle of the crowd right in front of the stage seeing Metallica at Wembley Stadium, just as the pit opens up... I was almost having a panic attack.

electro girl · Post by **electro girl** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 1:22 pm

As a kid I was very afraid of wasps and bees but now I'm just a bit wary of them.

Recently I've found that my biggest fears come from my confidence issues, I've realised I've always had that problem now but never really noticed until last year. One of my mates boyfriends was having his 18th and I was invited along with a few others from my 6th form college, then when I pulled into the car park it started to hit me, I was feeling really nervous and a bit panicy, but eventually a friend rang me to say she was inside and when we met up there was only a few people there I knew and I got really freaked out by all these people I didnt know, it was so far outside of my comfort zone it was unbelievable. So I said happy birthday and goodbye and just abandoned my friends and went home.

For weeks after this happened it still really bothered me to the point I couldnt even be in a crowd of people I know and on more than one occasion I left parties early but waited in my streets tenfoot (alley) so it looked like I'd been at the party all night so my parents wouldnt think anything was wrong.

I've gotten a bit better but the little things still bother me like walking into a shop or pub and everyone tuning to look at me, interviews, waiting in line and driving.

Well ther you go I've opened up.

Ackula · Post by **Ackula** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 6:30 pm

My biggest fear is that my wife, or one of my kids will die before me. I want them all to outlive me, and I don't think I could handle it if something happened to any one of them. Other than that I don't suppose I fear anything. I despise plenty of things, such as 99% of the human race, but I don't fear them.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:49 pm

Losing my specs. I get very, very paranoid about it. It's my only weakness.

RID Scourge · Post by **RID Scourge** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:18 pm

I hear you EG. Being at parties or crowded bars drives me nuts. I felt uneasy a few times even. Most of the time it's just annoying because my shoulders are so wide that it's really hard to move in a crowd.

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:47 pm

Cliffjumper wrote:Losing my specs. I get very, very paranoid about it. It's my only weakness.

Bullets are my only weakness.

Possibly.

There's a strong chance I'm actually bulletproof, but I've never really been keen on finding out one way or the other.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:09 pm

There's probably a few people round here who'd be happy to test that theory.

Slayer-Fan123 · Post by **Slayer-Fan123** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 11:38 pm

Kind of hard to decide on my biggest fear.
I've had to go to the emergency room 5 times in one year.
I've nearly been shot at.
Had a guy go all pocketknife on me, and apparently I scared him away.
Yeah, I got some bad luck. Only good thing that's going to happen this month is that I'm seeing Death Angel and Carcass at the SF Ballroom.

Anyway, I would have to say my biggest actual fear is that I outlive my friends and family. And, um, that's it.

Prowl1984 · Post by **Prowl1984** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 11:46 pm

Spiders, ok with heights as long as i feel secure, a jade goody memorial day

Catalyst Dragon · Post by **Catalyst Dragon** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 12:50 am

I've always been scared of Horses... I guess is because of their size. Don't get me wrong their pretty creatures and I've ridden a couple but I'm just a little timid around them.

I'm generally timid around anything or anyone I can't communicate with in some way.

I've always had a fear of being ambushed... I guess some would call that being Paranoid.

I don't fear death but I do fear pain. I would prefer to either die in my sleep or die so fast I don't feel it.

I have asthma so fear of suffocation has always hit a nerve with me.

Zeeks · Post by **Zeeks** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:42 am

I read this post this morning, and I purposely didn't answer it until now because I could write a thesis on it.....so I will just keep it to main points.

Ironically, I just read the Sinestro Corps War a few months ago. The main topic? Fear. What fear does to people. Even in comics, it's amazing how it shadows real life issues. On a personal level, I've dealt with this all my life...reading books like Fear No Evil, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyways, The two books by Eckart Tolle, Marianne Williamson, etc and so on...

So what are the main ones? Fear of failing. Messing up with people. And when I mess up, I punish myself. Fear of non-acceptance when ironically, I'm generally the one in the crowd that differs from everyone....separation from people, when I do my best to separate myself from people. Funny how things work out like that.

In the current times? Fear of not surviving life. Let's face it- we are just getting off a real life 8 year run with the Sinestro Corps of reality. Loss is everywhere.....fear of loss. As pitiful as the company I work for is, we still all fear losing the jobs we have.

Fear of being alone, yet I sit in this house day after day with a pc as my main connection to the world. Sure I go out, and I see all these people with siginificant others, and I feel like.....I don't deserve that happiness because whenever I've had it, it is taken away.

So there are topical fears like spiders, deep fears like lonliness....Sometimes I wonder if having fears actually makes us human or debilitates us.

Whilst thinking about this thread, I went out and bought a Sinestro Corps T Shirt with the idea of "I'm gonna wear my fear like a badge of honor."