Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Horror. Breath. Desperation. Edgy.

Paranoia is fear. Movies of the suspense or horror variety can instill the sense of impending harm. People fear the unknown. They fear failure, rejection, pain, spiders, heights, death, having no control. The craze of our generation is apocalyptic apprehension. We are in the dark when it comes to knowing the future.

Things that go bump in the night:
Cats
Wind
Wind chimes
Creaky house
Charlie Sheen
Stuff falling off dressers
Drunk people
Murderers, assassins, thieves
Doors

A good dose of fear reminds you to stay on your toes. It gives you an adrenaline-rush. Society makes a great use of fear; it's a great motivator to drive certain actions. You never know what could happen.

Fear of monsters, a childish nightmare, has stuck with me even now. When I was young, I sometimes used to sleep with an arm hanging over the edge of the bed. I was cured of this when I saw the episode of Rugrats with the monster under the bed with a deep, threatening voice. I know that there is nothing under my bed now. Quite frankly, it's too compact for anything. Yet, in the back of my head, there's always that "What if?" that rears its ugly, maleficent head. I know no monsters lurk, but the definition of monsters remains ambiguous since I hit puberty. There are others ways to scare and be scared.


But really. Where are you safe? Under the blankets is for children. No sheet of satin can save you. What can a gun do against aliens, the unnatural, or the supernatural? In a room full of other people, you can still be mercilessly picked off. A quick flash in the dark and your friend has disappeared, you're finished. The nooks, crannies, and closets in your house are not enough to hide you, or if they are, you could be easily found out. Not even roller coasters are child-tested, mother approved. There are still incidents of the cars falling off the track, seat belts or harnesses unclasping, and getting stuck in one place. The arms of a lover offer little protection from death. Safety is an illusion.

Sleep well. Make life beautiful and enjoy every minute.