The past couple of days, I have had a discussion with three separate people about fear.

Fear. Fear. Fear.

I think it is the cause of  a BIG BUNCH of “what” is wrong with the world today.

To “fear” could mean a variety of different things.  Fear is a distressing negative sensation.  It is triggered or  induced by a perceived threat.

We also use it as a basic survival mechanism.   This is in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger.  Fear is apparently a universal emotion.

It seems as though all persons, consciously or unconsciously, have fear in some sort of way.  Animals too.

But fears will pop up, in many shapes and sizes. I have a good friend who is afraid of snakes. And… of course….. we all have different perceptions and apprehension.  Spiders.  Heights.  The number thirteen.  Bees.  Tight spaces.  Needles. Large Crowds.  Dentists.  Bats.

Then there are some that you don’t normally think of… at least… I don’t ever think of them.  Fear of hands, trees, flutes, chickens, machines, cooking.  Heck, some people are even afraid of string. Yep.  All of those are real, live, phobias.

Now… it is a wonder that I am not deathly afraid of clowns.  That fear is called Coulrophobia.  Look at the photo.  That is me… front and center in the clown ride. The littlest one.  Straggly.  Frowning.  Wanting to get the heck away from the evil clown face.

Holy smokes… what were they trying to do at that amusement park?  Send us all to therapy by the time we were 15?  That ride looks like one of the characters from the horror movie Clownhouse.  I seem a little disturbed in the photo, I’ll tell you.  Why were my siblings holding me hostage there?  Why was my Mother photographing the torture?

Ahhhh.  Well.  Crappy Clowns happen.

But back to “life” fears….  the big deal is…. people fear that which they don’t know or understand.

That which we don’t understand.

I don’t understand a lot about this life.  Maybe that is why I am so anxious all the time. Well… truthfully I  just get full of dread at circuses.  Mostly around clowns really.  Clowns.  And white grease paint.