'Afraid' is only a four-letter word

Fear.

Even the word itself conjures up the concept it represents.

Fear.

It's enough to strike itself into the hearts of those full of it.

(Fear)

It's just like 'ear'. But that's not scary. That F must stand for something rotten.

What are you afraid of?

That's not just a rhetorical question. Feel free to answer it.

People tend to be afraid of spiders. But that's it.

That's the only acceptable fear. That won't get you funny looks. If you're jokingly discussing fear with some chums, and you say "I'm afraid of dying alone in Wales" they will judge you.

Or heights, I suppose. But that's not really fear. That's just altitude prejudice.

I'm not sure what I've afraid of...

Socialising with strangers, I suppose. That prospect is enough to make me feel nauseous. I'm not good when placed in that situation. I'm always afraid I'll punch something (or someone) embarrassing.

I'm not scared of spiders. I'm not crazy about them, of course. If I had the choice, I'd rather not have one living in my brain. But I don't mind them too much.

I'm not scared of the dark either. I quite like it. People don't judge my body paint in the dark. Except for my glow-in-the-dark bodypaint. Which they always judge as: "endearing".

I don't like toads. I really don't. But I'm not sure if I'm afraid of them. I don't worry about them at night. I don't build complicated toadshields. I don't fear a Planet of the Toads scenario.

Who would? Who would?

It must be really difficult to have one of those strange phobias. Like those people who are terrified of buttons or chocolate hens.

It's a handicap that's not really spoken about. But it must make their lives difficult. How can you get a job or find true love if you're paralysed with fear at the sight of the Jolly Green Giant? You can't. You just have to make do.

We have nothing to fear but fear itself.

To quote the Duke of Wellington: "The only thing I am afraid of is fear. And unicorns."

Except of course for the fear of the fear of fear. That's twice as bad as normal fear. Sometimes I wake up screaming at the thought of being subject to the fear of fear. It scares me. It really does.

I'm afraid I've exhausted my fear entry.

For additional content, why not try re-reading this post, substituting the word 'fear' with 'bear'.