Arachnephobia

            Paraskevidekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the thirteenth.  Triskadekaphobia – the fear of the number thirteen.  Ablutophobia: the fear of baths.  Arachnephobia - the fear of spiders.  The list goes on and on.  Simply put, there are lots of fears in this world as fear is an innate human emotion.  It plays a pivotal role in our lives as it may either help us to develop our strength of character or impel us to make impetuous decisions.  No matter what gullible and naïve people may say, fear is an unavoidable emotion and a person will inevitably confront their fear sooner or later in their lives.  For me, I would have to say that I am arachnophobic.

            Spiders.  The very mention of the word makes me shiver and shudder.  Vampire-like venomous creatures, spiders terrify me, their heads small yet sinister-looking while their abdomen looks as if it contains potent poisons.  However, there is one part of a spider that leaves the most indelible impression: their legs.  Abnormally long and lanky compared to the rest of the body, a spider’s legs exude an eerie aura as it gingerly moves the spider towards its prey.  These legs, eight in total, are the defining characteristic of a spider.  In fact, as I am writing this blog right now, there is actually a spider on the outside of my window and I am appalled by the shape and size of its legs as it enlarges the actual size of the spider.

            My fear most likely originated from a birthday party I attended when I was a child.  On that day, my friends and I were engaged in playing a perennially popular children’s game of tag when suddenly, I tripped and fell.  Not paying much attention to the matter, I simply picked myself up, completely oblivious to a menacing creature lurking towards me.  Following our game boisterous game of tag, we went back in the host’s house to eat some cake.  I was extremely famished after our enervating activity and was really looking forward to indulging myself in a scrumptious cake.  However, as I was about to take my first bite, my friend’s eyes suddenly widened and he pointed at my chest, his mouth hanging open.  I looked down to where he was pointing and saw a pair of eyes staring right back at me.  What lay on my chest was a spider with the longest legs I ever saw in my life – a daddy long legs spider.  My heart pounding like my drum and my hands damp with sweat, I was stunned by the grotesque nature of the spider – ugly and scary – and could not move at all.  To my utter surprise, one of the birthday boy’s friends actually came over and gave a cry of joy as he held out his hand to allow the spider to move onto his hand.  Thankfully, the spider did move onto his hand.  The problem with the spider on my chest had been resolved but an immensely larger one had emerged at the same time.  Even to this day, I find it extremely ironic how birthday parties are supposed to be a heart-warming occasion and yet, my fear of spiders emerged from this “jubilant” event. 

            While fear may impel others to be impulsive and reckless, I feel that this is not the case for me.  For example, there have been many occasions where I have been called by my sister to “shoo” away or “kill” an unsuspecting spider that has entered her room.  Even though I am scared of them, I realize that my sister is even more terrified and that as the older sibling, I have the responsibility of taking care of her.  Henceforth, every time a spider unwittingly crawls into her room, I have to muster up my courage to pick up the spider with a tissue and toss it outside.  I do not feel that my fear really hinders me in any way as I am able to confront and overcome my fears when it is important.