Fear rules us all. It
controls our lives. Sometimes it's in big, significant ways but more
often, it's in the little routines and habits we've internalized to a
point where we don't even realize how scared we are. Fear of being
caught for doing something, fear of the consequences of not doing something, fears based
on variables you can control... and those you can't.
People may say it's all
in the mind, but it can also take on tangible forms. (I mean actual
things, not the messed up stuff you see in horror movies). And what's
the scariest and most omnipotent of them all?
If you're thinking
spiders, you're wrong (unless you have arachnophobia, in which case I
totally empathize because I'm on a similar track).
It's cockroaches.
Particularly flying cockroaches.
The ones that can't fly
are not terrifying to me any more. Over the years, I've learnt to
suck it up and smack the damn hellspawn with a shoe. But if they can fly, that's a completely different story. It's a horrifying nightmare
straight out of hell. Nay, more like pure hell itself. Here's a comparison to show just how bad it is:
Just like some people
don't cry when they're sad because they think it makes them look
weak, I try to be as brave as possible when faced by a flying
cockroach. I may not scream (too loudly) when I see one. This is mostly because I'm worried that people will call me a baby. And that
I'll then hit them for teasing me about a very real fear (but not
before they've killed the cockroach for me, obviously).
P.S. I may or may not
believe everything in the Bible, but I totally blame Noah for this.