Top Ten Phobias

Obviously, I didn't come up with this list, but I thought it would be interesting to give my opinions on the subject. After all, it seems that lately we've been living in a world of fear or terror or something. But after you read this, you will find that there is really "nothing to fear, but fear itself" – Franklin D. Roosevelt (or is that phobophobia?).

Death

10. Necrophobia: Fear of death

That's an interesting one. Not a specific fear of a way of dying, but just dying in general. Of course, nobody really wants to die, but it's an inescapable part of life that you have no control over. I guess that could be why people fear it. But the way I see it, you should only think about life while you're alive. You're here now, so enjoy it while you still can. There will be a whole eternity to worry about death after you're dead. (I'm not sounding very reassuring, am I?) I think Woody Allen said it best when he said "I'm not afraid of dying, I just don't want to be there when it happens."

lightning

9. Brontophobia: Fear of thunder and lightning

This one's funny. A loud boom sending people cowering under their beds, just like in cartoons. This is obviously a fear from childhood, and needs to be looked at from a scientific perspective. After all, thunder is nothing more than the sound made by lightning heating the air to over 30,000 degrees Celsius. And as for lightning, you have more of a chance of winning the lottery than being struck by it (unless you live in America).

nuclear reactor

8. Carcinophobia: Fear of cancer

There are so many kinds of cancer these days, and it seems that everytime you pick up a science magazine, you find out about yet another thing that can cause it. Then you hear statistics, like 1 in 3 people will be directly affected by some kind of cancer. But the thing is, nobody knows exactly what causes it, so there is never any certainty that you will actually get it, unless you hang out inside nuclear reactors. And you can't catch it from other people. So how do you know when to be scared?

occupational hazzard

7. Acrophobia: Fear of heights

To many people, this is the same as a fear of falling. I'm not as worried by the falling, as I am of the hitting the ground. But just remember, if somebody asks you to walk across two skyscrapers on a shaky wooden plank in high winds, it's OK to be a little bit apprehensive.

classic

6. Emetophobia: Fear of vomiting

This means being afraid of vomiting in a public place, and people seeing you vomit and being grossed out by it and never looking at you in the same way again. But usually when I'm feeling that sick, worrying about how I look and what other people think is the least of my concerns. Plenty of people have seen me vomit (Joel, Alla...) I even vomited on the doctor in Israel when I had appendicitis. It's nothing to be ashamed of.

Claustrophobia

5. Claustrophobia: Fear of confined spaces

Some people complain that they have this phobia when they are in the middle of a crowd crush at a rock concert. But that isn't really claustrophobia. That's the fear of being crushed (Enochlophobia). As for me, I love a confined space, especially when I can't move. It's so cosy.

"Bliss"

4. Agoraphobia: Fear of open spaces

Wow, I never understood this one. A wide open space, totally clear of obstacles, nobody can sneak up on you. I guess some people are just afraid to be alone. I used to be like that, but then I got used to it. Now I even enjoy solitude. There's nothing like standing in the middle of an empty field or stadium and pretending that you are the only person on the planet, and hence, its ruler.

one of those movies

3. Aerophobia: Fear of flying

What's that famous reassuring phrase? You're more likely to die in a car accident? Just because flying in an aeroplane is relatively safe, doesn't make it feel any more natural. Jerry Seinfeld said "Humans have fear of flying the same way fish have fear of driving". So true. But once you're up in the air, you tend to forget about how strange and unlikely it seems to be cruising at 30,000 feet, and are happy to sit and watch a movie and eat some peanuts. (That's the second time I've used that number on this page.)

take a deep breath...

2. Sociophobia: Fear of people or social situations

This is the big one, the way I see it. I'm referring to public speaking. I get stage fright every time I have to make some kind of presentation or performance in front of a group of people. Despite the fact that I have made many, many presentations, and plenty of hilarious performances on stage at various school camps and such, it never seems to get any easier. I sometimes feel jittery just trying to tell a story to a group of friends. I guess this means that I really do care what people think, or at least that I don't want them to have a bad time on account of me. I think I'm like, very humanitarian that way.

huntsman

1. Arachnophobia: Fear of spiders

And so we come to the top of the list, the ultimate fear. It's a bit of an anticlimax in my opinion. There are more than 30,000 known species of spider, and most of them are harmless unless you really annoy them (I can't belive I used that number again). They're also ueful for getting rid of pesky insects. I like them so much, I actually allowed a huntsman spider to live in my room for several weeks. It even had baby spiders! Of course, my mum insisted on removing them. It was so sad. Anyway, don't be afraid of spiders. You could be the hero who gets one of them out of the house, while everyone else is standing on chairs.