Given the time of year, a lot of people have been writing about what scares them (see EvilFlu, CarissaJaded, SnoopDogg). Never one to avoid a bandwagon, here is what scares me:
- Wolves
To me, a wolf with its teeth bared is one of the most frightening images I can think of. If something is going to be stalking me from the darkness, I’d rather it be a guy with a knife than a wolf. Animals affect my emotions more than most humans do. It’s the same principle that makes me weep uncontrollably when a dog dies in a movie, even after the human body count has already started piling up. At that ghost lecture, the only thing that freaked me out was when he described a spot where certain people would hear the howling and growling of “spectral wolves” drawing near. Ghost wolves. Fucking hell. - Gross Skin Things
For the most part, I’m not too bothered by severed heads, gaping wounds, splattering blood, etc. (in movies I mean; in real life I’d probably barf like a garden hose if I saw any of these). Much more bothersome are oozing boils, cancerous growths, or just really bad zits. I guess because most people are likely to encounter these things at some point in their life, through no fault of their own or even at the hand of others. Plus I just have a thing for nice skin (but surprisingly, “I enjoy the way your skin looks on your body” never works as a pickup line). - Being Stuck in a Small Places
I’m not generally claustrophobic; I rather enjoy being paid to lie in the narrow tube of an MRI machine for hours at a time. But the thought of being in that situation with nobody around and no way of freeing myself, that terrifies me. When I was in high school, I wrote a story about a guy who had to wriggle through a small sewer pipe, where he felt something nibbling at his toes but didn’t have enough room to turn around or even free his hands to swat it away. All he could do was wriggle faster. That idea has always resonated in the fear centers of my subconscious. - My Future
I’m sure I’ll write more about this later, but I’m about to finish school after being there my whole life, thrust into the real world, and I have no idea where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing at this time next year. That frightens me deep down. There’s a bit of excitement too, sure, but the uncertainty of it is my number one crisis at the moment. - The Planet’s Future
I think it’s a natural human instinct to go batshit crazy over the end of the world. Every culture has their apocalypse predictions. None have yet come true, but humans are now more powerful than ever, and I genuinely believe that the the technological singularity could happen within most young peoples’ lifetimes. That’s a make-or-break point; we either fuck it up so bad that this planet becomes a lifeless rock like the rest of them, or we end up in a near-perfect utopia. I have hope for the latter, but I fear the former.
Phronk.com 
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22 responses to “What Scares Me”
Interesting post.
I also have an issue with confined spaces, though I am not necessarily claustrophobic. I prefer open doors – especially in rooms without windows, especially if there are others in the room and ESPECIALLY if said other people are between me and the door. I'm okay with elevators, except on long rides (think the CN tower).
I am also afraid of someone breaking into my house while I'm there. Unlikely, but the fear persists.
I thought I should also mention that “fear itself fears Chuck Norris”.
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Interesting post. I also have an issue with confined spaces, though I am not necessarily claustrophobic. I prefer open doors – especially in rooms without windows, especially if there are others in the room and ESPECIALLY if said other people are between me and the door. I'm okay with elevators, except on long rides (think the CN tower).I am also afraid of someone breaking into my house while I'm there. Unlikely, but the fear persists.I thought I should also mention that “fear itself fears Chuck Norris”.
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First, wolves scare the shit out of me as well. One night when I was at my cousins house, we woke in the middle of the night to find (what we imagined to be) a pair of red eyes staring in at us. The next morning we found (what we imagined) to be wolf prints outside the window. As much as I know it was my imagination.. it still scares the shiz out of me.
And skin things are the worst. As soon as I read that, all I could think of is that “tree man” who has flappy warts all over his body.
barfffff…
Thanks for the shout out!
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First, wolves scare the shit out of me as well. One night when I was at my cousins house, we woke in the middle of the night to find (what we imagined to be) a pair of red eyes staring in at us. The next morning we found (what we imagined) to be wolf prints outside the window. As much as I know it was my imagination.. it still scares the shiz out of me.And skin things are the worst. As soon as I read that, all I could think of is that “tree man” who has flappy warts all over his body.barfffff…Thanks for the shout out!
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Awesome neat post.
Skin things are inherently very gross, so I'm with you on that one. I guess that's why humans have shunned lepers all their lives.
Animals and small spaces don't bother me one bit. Spiders do, but in a manageable sense. Sure I'll scream and run, but not really panic. I totally agree with you on the emotional affect of animal issues though, in general I care about them more than humans also. I'm more likely to donate to an animal shelter than starving children. Does that make me a misanthrope?
I'm actually kind of looking forward to our next big crisis as humanity, because what I see now is just a gongshow. I'm hoping that something forces our hand to decide whether to survive as a species or not. I don't care if it's aliens, robots, mayans or what the hell, bring it on!
You know what my worst irrational fear is? Zombies. And I'm not even kidding. Something about that blank stare, decomposing body (there go gross skin things again), and quick spread (in the movies), really makes me twitchy. World War Z rocked!
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Awesome neat post. Skin things are inherently very gross, so I'm with you on that one. I guess that's why humans have shunned lepers all their lives.Animals and small spaces don't bother me one bit. Spiders do, but in a manageable sense. Sure I'll scream and run, but not really panic. I totally agree with you on the emotional affect of animal issues though, in general I care about them more than humans also. I'm more likely to donate to an animal shelter than starving children. Does that make me a misanthrope?I'm actually kind of looking forward to our next big crisis as humanity, because what I see now is just a gongshow. I'm hoping that something forces our hand to decide whether to survive as a species or not. I don't care if it's aliens, robots, mayans or what the hell, bring it on!You know what my worst irrational fear is? Zombies. And I'm not even kidding. Something about that blank stare, decomposing body (there go gross skin things again), and quick spread (in the movies), really makes me twitchy. World War Z rocked!
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Hmmm, other people's fears are always interesting. Wolves are creepy, but for me, it's sharks–if I could swim, you would not find me swimming in the ocean. As for your fears for your own future and that of the planet, I'd say that if you weren't experiencing at least some fear about that, you either aren't paying attention, or you know something the rest of us don't. The real world is scary, but I found university to be scary in a different way. I can handle the real world scary…you will too
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Hmmm, other people's fears are always interesting. Wolves are creepy, but for me, it's sharks–if I could swim, you would not find me swimming in the ocean. As for your fears for your own future and that of the planet, I'd say that if you weren't experiencing at least some fear about that, you either aren't paying attention, or you know something the rest of us don't. The real world is scary, but I found university to be scary in a different way. I can handle the real world scary…you will too
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I have the exact same feelings about animals, which is a little fucking nuts considering I grew up in the wilderness and my house is surrounded by moose and bears and coyotes. And did you hear about the girl in NS who was killed by coyotes? Worst death imaginable.
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I have the exact same feelings about animals, which is a little fucking nuts considering I grew up in the wilderness and my house is surrounded by moose and bears and coyotes. And did you hear about the girl in NS who was killed by coyotes? Worst death imaginable.
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Katrina: I probably should have put “people breaking into my place” on this list too. When I had a house, there were nights when I'd lay awake listening to every creak, worrying it was a burglar. This probably stems from that one time I heard noises, ignored them, and yup, it was a burglar.
Carissa: Eww, flappy warts.
Tatiana: I think it does make you a misanthrope, at least in a relative sense (a lessanthrope?), but I'm right there with you. And YES, I'm reading World War Z right now and it rocks so far.
FCF: I've never been too affected by sharks. The idea of being eaten by one isn't pleasant, but I don't have that primal fear of them like with wolves. Funny how fears differ. And re: the real world, thanks, I hope you're right. 🙂
AngryRedHead: Holy shit, yeah, I did hear about that. Who the hell gets killed by coyotes in 2009?
Now I'm not gonna sleep because I'll be afraid coyotes are going to burgle me.
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Katrina: I probably should have put “people breaking into my place” on this list too. When I had a house, there were nights when I'd lay awake listening to every creak, worrying it was a burglar. This probably stems from that one time I heard noises, ignored them, and yup, it was a burglar.Carissa: Eww, flappy warts.Tatiana: I think it does make you a misanthrope, at least in a relative sense (a lessanthrope?), but I'm right there with you. And YES, I'm reading World War Z right now and it rocks so far.FCF: I've never been too affected by sharks. The idea of being eaten by one isn't pleasant, but I don't have that primal fear of them like with wolves. Funny how fears differ. And re: the real world, thanks, I hope you're right. :)AngryRedHead: Holy shit, yeah, I did hear about that. Who the hell gets killed by coyotes in 2009? Now I'm not gonna sleep because I'll be afraid coyotes are going to burgle me.
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Oh Phronk. I just want to reiterate that we would be best friends if we actually knew each other. I cry more over animal deaths than human deaths ever. If there's a fire in the news and the family makes it out but the cat dies……damn. It gets me. Movie example: I am Legend. Bawled. Completely bawled with Samantha dies. It's just so sad. That's the extent of my comment.
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Oh Phronk. I just want to reiterate that we would be best friends if we actually knew each other. I cry more over animal deaths than human deaths ever. If there's a fire in the news and the family makes it out but the cat dies……damn. It gets me. Movie example: I am Legend. Bawled. Completely bawled with Samantha dies. It's just so sad. That's the extent of my comment.
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Thanks for the linky!
After reading your list of scary things I have to agree…plus now I'm beginning to think I'm afraid of everything, not just things on my list. Like paper…I'm afraid of paper cuts when I see paper…the list could go on forever *sigh*
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Thanks for the linky! After reading your list of scary things I have to agree…plus now I'm beginning to think I'm afraid of everything, not just things on my list. Like paper…I'm afraid of paper cuts when I see paper…the list could go on forever sigh
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You are a brave man. I, myself would never post what scared me in a public forum out of fear that people (mostly my so-called friends and my roommate) might use them against me in a so-called practical joke…
I wish better for you, may your friends have a better sense of humor.
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You are a brave man. I, myself would never post what scared me in a public forum out of fear that people (mostly my so-called friends and my roommate) might use them against me in a so-called practical joke… I wish better for you, may your friends have a better sense of humor.
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Other than my kids getting smushed by cars (god, all it would take is one stumble over the curb and smush!) I'm totally freaked out by images of our society crumbling. I've been watching Life After People on the history channel, and seeing skyscrapers covered in vegetation freaks my shit out.
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Other than my kids getting smushed by cars (god, all it would take is one stumble over the curb and smush!) I'm totally freaked out by images of our society crumbling. I've been watching Life After People on the history channel, and seeing skyscrapers covered in vegetation freaks my shit out.
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What's really interesting is that the advertisement at the top of your blog is for “Mormon dating”
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What's really interesting is that the advertisement at the top of your blog is for “Mormon dating”
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