"Only the dead fear nothing, for they have truly nothing to fear". This quote was, as far as I know, made up by me about eight years ago, when some random boy was teasing me about my fear of skeletons; as it turns out, he had many more fears than I did. There are many reasons for fear, and many things that people fear. Many of these things are psycological, inflicted upon us due to some event that has happened in our past.
Some people fear things which might harm them, usually arachnids and serpents, this is mostly due to exageration by the media. Others fear new things, because they are strange and unknown to them. Still others fear exposing themselves and performing in front of others. Me, my biggest fear, I'd say, is failure. Since as far back as I could remember, my family has emphasized the importance of success; doing well in school, getting into a famous university, getting a high paying job and having a huge house, basically, the typical asian parent's dream. Because of this, I've always strived for success; failure is not an option. And because of this, I get extremely nervous whenever marks come out.
My other fear, perhaps my only other fear, is of skeletons. This stems from when I was about five. My parents were really into Chinese dramas, and I had the misfortune to watch a few episodes of a certain drama with them. From what I can remember, the drama involved supernatural forces and humans who were transformed into the living dead. Needless to say, those few hours of television scared the living hell (no pun intended) out of me. Although I dare say I've mostly gotten over my fear of skeletons.
Phycology (from Greek φῦκος, phykos, "seaweed"; and -λογία, -logia) is the scientific study of algae. Phycology is a branch of life science and often is regarded as a subdiscipline of botany.
ReplyDeleteJust saying.
Oh oops haha, my bad, don't know how I ended up typing that but I changed it now =P
ReplyDeleteoh but algae is coooooool
ReplyDeleteHey there Ray, you have an interesting mix of fears: skeletons and failure. Its interesting tot see how many people has put fear of failure into as their topic for this week, including me. Generally I enjoyed reading your fears, however it would have been nice if you expanded on why your parents wanted the "Asian dream" for you.
ReplyDeleteI understand why my parents have high expectations for me. They just want to see their son become a successful person after they sacrificed their happy life in Korea to move to Canada to raise me in a better environment. Because I know this I can utilize my fear of failure into motivation.
As for your fear of skeletons, that is completely acceptable. I also had a childhood fear of dogs because I was chased around my block by a dog. I was so young and I ran so far away from home, I forgot my way back. That was when I started to fear and hate dogs. After a few sessions with a therapist, I have learned to accept dogs as "man's best friend". Now I am cohabiting with my very own golden retriever in my happy home.
Honestly, I think my parents wanted the "Asian dream" for me because "[they] sacrificed [their] happiness just so my life would be better, so the least I could do is be successful. That way, at least [their] sacrifice will not be in vain". Plus, growing up during a period of time when most people were very poor, and being very successful in China, my dad was a lawyer, my mom a university teacher, my parents know how bitter being poor could be, and how great wealth is. So, naturally, they want me to be successful so that I can enjoy life without having to constantly worry about how I will make ends meet.
ReplyDeleteHey Ray! I just want to say a couple of things. Firstly, "Hey Ray" rhymes, and secondly,I somewhat disagree with you. It's great and all that my parents are sacrificing a lot by moving to Canada for me and my sisters. However, during my reminiscing periods in bed at night I had an epiphany: my ideal adulthood is to be a normal adult; I want to have to worry about moeny; I want to live with my friends with an average salary; I want to live the life of an average Canadian citizen not a rich man who never has to worry about money. I want to have to save up for a Canuck's game and all, not owing to the fact that there are many poor people in the world and I am trying to symphatize with them, but because idealistically, I want to live a normal life. So all these fears about marks and how I am going to get rich don't apply to me because honestly, who cares? Who cares if I get rich because life is transient; riches and fame are also transitory. It would be great to be rich and not have fear of bankrupcty; however, in my opinion, as a response to your comment about being obligated to live well, thanks to your parents, does not need to be fullfilled unless you wish it to be.
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