I wrote this for my English 11 A class. We had to write about 3 fears in an essay form. Here is my response to the topic.

Fears

No one is ever fearless, although some people like to say they are. Everyone fears something, and these fears can be a common fear that most people have or they can be one that most people don’t hear about often. Sometimes a fear can become a phobia. A phobia is when a fear starts to control one’s life and makes it almost impossible for one to go about their lives in a normal fashion. Most people fear what they don’t know, while others fear something out of a bad experience. Sometimes the fear is just in their heads.

Agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces. This is often misunderstood as being afraid of open spaces such as an open field, but it really is the fear of open enclosed spaces such as a shopping center or a stadium. This phobia can stem from the fear of having an anxiety or panic attack in public. Having frequent anxiety attacks adds the fear of having them in public on to the list of things that trigger these attacks. Agoraphobia also can be a result of being afraid of being in a place with large amounts of people. When there are large amounts of people in an area one can feel closed in, without an accessible escape route, it can trigger an anxiety or panic attack. The worst case for one who has anxiety problems is when they have an attack and there is no way for them to get help.

Being alone is a fear for most people. Everyone is always trying to find that one person to spend the rest of their lives with, but most people are to superficial to see that the one they are looking for is right in front of them. They go through life looking for someone who understands them, someone they understand. The fear of being alone and loneliness affects everyone. Although, sometimes, people give up looking for that someone. To quote Grandma Death from the movie Donnie Darko, “Every living creature dies alone.” This quote makes one think, if we all die alone, then why do we seek someone to be with? It is human nature, humans are sociable creatures, we rely on others for stimulation and to reproduce. We need companionship. This is why people are afraid of being alone.

A fear can be something in your head. A big fear is the fear of losing one’s mind. One of the scariest thoughts that one can have is that of going crazy. Some people think nothing of seeing a demon or a spirit. Others, it makes them scared and they soon become afraid of seeing that image. When one hears voices, it can also either be normal to a person or it can be something that is a real horror show. One needs their mind in order to function in daily life. The thought of not being able to control one’s self is something that scares almost everyone.

Fears are very real to the people who fear them. Whether it is a phobia, a simple fear, or one that is in almost everyone, fears are not something that one should take lightly. Some fears can be faced, other fears cannot. It is easier to “cure” some fears than others. Without fears, we would not be human. And if we were not human, well, what would we be? That is exactly what I thought too.