Glenn Stewart Coles, 9251 Yonge Street, Suite 8-924, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, L4C 9T3
Text Box: When I was a boy, I used to walk to and from school. The distance was not great, but the walk still took about a half hour each way. Every day, all the children in the neighborhood would begin their trek to school, some traveling in groups and others traveling alone, some on feet and some on bicycles. About half way to school, there was one house that we always avoided. It was a cold house, a dark house, and a lonely house. There was a man who lived inside, though we never really saw him. But it was not the man or the darkness that kept us away from the house. We stayed away because there were snakes in the basement. I don’t really remember where I had heard the story, but every kid knew it. In that house a man kept snakes in the basement, and it should be avoided at all costs. Of course, every kid with courage and curiosity would purposely walk by the house, just to talk about it and feel shivers up the spine. We were all afraid that if we were caught, we would be thrown into the basement with the snakes. When I relive the memory, it makes me laugh. I realize that the story was never confirmed or denied, because every child was too afraid to find out. None of us had the courage to sneak up to the house and look through the window. None of us would dare knock on the door and ask the man to tell us the truth. And of course we totally avoided the house on Halloween. There are two interesting points that come from this story. Firstly, it helps us recognize that fear is self-fulfilling. When an object of fear does not show itself, it can serve to make the fear even worse. Fear is based more on imagined possibilities than actual outcomes. Fear grows as long as the unknown remains undefined. The second point to consider is how fear has changed our society. This story occurred in the late 1960’s, a time when social activists began to speak about peace and love. Now ask yourself how many children today are allowed to walk to school by themselves. In fact, there are many parents who will not even let their children play in the front yard for fear of kidnapping. Fear is a tool that we use to protect ourselves and those that we love. It helps make us aware of potential dangers, and prompts us to take safety precautions. We caution others to ‘beware’, insinuating that safety should not be taken for granted. Being aware is a vibration that makes sense. However, it is important to manage fear so that you are addressing real risks, not creating imaginary ones. To quote Robert Heinlein, ‘There is nothing wrong with being scared, as long as you don't let it affect you until the danger is over.’ © Copyright Glenn Stewart Coles, 2006 First Published June 4, 2006

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We stayed away because there were snakes in the basement.