My Fears

DAY TWO – Decribe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears

Kakorrhaphiophobia (mild)

Having grown up in an African household, my first fear has to be failure. Though with age I have come to accept failure as part of the learning process but the scars from my childhood are still quite visible. Back in the day, second best was not acceptable. Not just with my parents but my teachers as well. 98% in Mathematics got you a beating. Sometimes more beatings than the person who was last in class. Sigh.

The fear of failure is not only academic but extends to other aspects of my life as well. In other quaters it manifests itself as the fear of rejection which society (falsely) taught me is a failure in itself. Especially for a man. I’ve had my fair share of rejections and getting past them is a true measure of how far I have come.

Being number one was always equated to being the best. As you grow up, life does its best to show you that you are not. The walls come tumbling down faster than Jericho’s and if you are not quick on your feet, you’ll get caught up in the rumble and add a whole new list of issues from depression to imposter syndrome.

Snakes

If only I could move to Malta. I remember my first trip to the snake park. We got there during feeding time and I watched this long ass snake kill and eat a rabbit. If you add the visuals from Anaconda (the movie) and snakes on a plane then you have a really paranoid person when it comes to snakes. I don’t get how people keep snakes as pets.

Loss

Having lost my father at a young age, losing those close to me has become one of my biggest fears. Family, friends or colleagues. Loss is a big pill to swallow at times.

What are your biggest fears?