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# Scary Season
- URL: https://big-sky-baby.ghost.io/scary-season/
- Published: 2026-10-14T07:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-14T07:00:00.000Z
- Author: Big Sky Baby

***"Don't be afraid of being scared. To be afraid is a sign of common sense. Only complete idiots are not afraid of anything." - Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Angel's Game.***

For some reason, humans seem to enjoy getting scared. I am pretty sure that as long as there have been people sitting around a fire, there have been scary tales being told. One of the earliest surviving works of literature containing frightening elements (monsters, nightmares, fear of death) is The Epic of Gilgamesh, and it was written over two thousand years before Christ was born. Psychologists have a name for this phenomenon: recreational fear. 

They found that to have fun being scared, it must happen in a somewhat controlled environment. Things like jumping out of a plane with a parachute, going through a haunted house, riding a roller coaster, or watching a scary movie - the experience can be frightening, but because you believe the danger is manageable, you can enjoy the excitement without facing the same level of threat as you would in a genuinely dangerous situation. Once you have "survived", you may experience the triumphant feelings that come from the adrenaline rush. For some people, this experience is something they eagerly seek out again. 

Things that happen to us in real life, though, rarely happen in a controlled environment. I come across so many quotes that are pep talks to face fear and overcome it by doing it anyway, and it makes me wonder if that is actually sound advice. After all, fear evolved to keep us alive. Some things in this world are best approached with respect for their power, *because they can kill you.* Which makes me wonder about the following: ***"Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain." - attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson.*** 

As a woman, I am scared to hitchhike. According to Google, "The German Federal Police estimated the statistical chance of attempted rape during hitchhiking at 1 to 2 out of 10,000 lifts, and completed rape at 1 out of 10,000 lifts." Seasoned female hitchhikers recommend some precautions such as photographing the license plate and sending it to a friend, and avoiding hitchhiking after dark. I'll keep that in mind in case I ever decide to test my luck. In the meantime, I will not be encouraging my daughter to hitchhike. 

That being said, I will still get on an airplane, occasionally drive too fast, eat food that is bad for me, and ignore working out my core. ***"The sheep will spend its entire life fearing the wolf, only to be eaten by the shepherd." - Unknown.*** Or, in my case, suffering the consequences of poor choices. 

There must be more to deciding whether a risk is worth taking than statistical evidence alone. There is a difference between fearing a possible future outcome, such as losing everything in a failed business, and facing an immediate physical danger, such as wondering whether the rattlesnake you are about to pick up will bite you. Both of them are things that you may be scared to do; both can have life-changing consequences. One might cause you to be the laughing stock at the local coffee shop; one might earn you a place on the list of dumb ways to die. ***"There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in a storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man." - Patrick Rothfuss, The Wise Man's Fear.***

The quotes about not letting fear control you must come from the fact that our imaginations are powerful, so powerful that they can create fearful reactions out of nothing. Watch a scary movie alone and suddenly, every noise that you hear stresses you out, even though nothing in your physical environment has changed. Our imaginations can think up all sorts of worst-case scenarios that may or may not happen if we take a chance on something unfamiliar. ***"We suffer more in imagination than in reality." - Seneca.*** The quotes about facing your fears must be more about overcoming the lies that our mind makes up than recklessly flirting with death.

I think I have been confusing fear with worry. Fear alerts me to danger, while worry keeps me occupied with dangers that may never materialize. Fear can motivate me to take precautions, but worry can leave me mentally rehearsing disasters that I may never have to face. Perhaps the goal is not to become fearless, but to learn when fear deserves my attention and when I should tell my imagination to knock it off.

What I learned from researching this topic is this:

1. Real danger that might end your life can be bravely faced, but it is not wise to seek it out.
2. Imagined dangers and worst-case scenarios should be examined rather than automatically believed. Ask what evidence supports them and how likely they are to occur.
3. Should your worst fears be realized, you will have to stop fearing what might happen and begin dealing with what has happened.
4. Experiencing fear in a reasonably safe, controlled environment can be enjoyable and may help some people manage stress.

In the end, I realized that worrying excessively about real or imagined threats does not improve my quality of life. ***"Bad things happen whether you're scared or not, so you might as well not bother being scared. It's a waste of time." - Louise Rozett, Confessions of an Angry Girl.*** Fear is useful when it informs our decisions. It becomes less useful when it merely occupies our thoughts without helping us act.So, fear is worth listening to, but it is not always worth obeying. Now go out and enjoy your scary season!

Love and Hope,

 Big Sky Baby