The emotion that October runs on

Fear: thick, uneven breathing and sweaty palms. The sound of a woman’s scream that is played in every horror film and a forest at night covered in shadows. It is an emotion that everyone can picture with the way that is captured in October through haunted houses, scary movies, and recently, clowns running up and down the streets. Sophomore Sydney Wyler felt fear when she was shuffling through a haunted house full of flashing lights and people with masks covered in fake blood. She shuffled through the house with her basketball team around her and her coach holding onto her back the whole time. Fear, to her, is the feeling of sprinting out of the house with the harsh grind of a chainsaw chasing after her.

“I don’t chase after the feeling of fear. It isn’t a fun thing for me,” Wyler said.

Everyone experiences fear in reasonable and unreasonable ways, and the emotion is expressed even more in the month of October. While sometimes the fears that cannot be found in haunted houses or scary movies are the ones that scare people the most, fears that can be found in hospitals, moving, or even just in the idea of failure are fears that are found in the student body.

“The fear of failure is a reasonable fear I have. It is applicable to different aspects of my life, not just in a job but just in general, like in sports and making good grades, to the point where it makes me not want to try if I am not hundred percent positive I will do well at,” senior Kianna Baker said.

Fears affects everyone differently, and something that might terrify some are events that are not scary to others. Baker’s fear of being kidnapped is one that junior Sophie Scaccia does not relate to.

“A lot of people are freaked out about getting kidnapped, but that is something that never really occurs to me as something that could happen. Not that I would want it to-I just don’t think about it,” Scaccia said.

Most fears are things that have to be overcome, though. Things such as faith, learning more about the fear, or just pushing through it are ways that can make a certain fear no longer a threat. Baker turns to her faith when thinking about the fear of death as it gives her confidence to not fear what happens after death.

“I don’t really fear death, if that makes sense. I am really confident that I know where I am going, and it’s an inevitable fact that everybody dies. So, honestly, it is actually something find a lot of peace in that one day I will be reunited with the Father. So it is something I really just don’t find fear in,”  Baker said.  

Junior Jayden Wooten used to be frightened by storms. When he was younger, he experienced a dangerous storm alone that made his windows shake. Instead of letting the fear beat him, he actually became fascinated with storms and his fear about them.

“Storms interest me because they used to scare me. I studied meteorology and weather patterns and learned to understand it. I got to know the weather patterns and the chances of actually being hurt by the storm. It helped me get through it,” Wooten said.

Even with fear being traumatizing at times, it is still something students chase after during this time of the year. Scaccia enjoys watching various scary movies and attending scary houses with her friends. Fear is an emotion that can be controlling but also can be overcome and even be fun, depending on the situation.

“It depends on the scenario whether or not I like the feeling of fear. I’m a total adrenaline junkie when it comes to rollercoasters and stuff. But,I definitely would not run after clowns anytime soon,” Wooten said.

Questions:

What is an unreasonable fear you have?

Sydney: Sharks. I can’t even watch finding Nemo I am so scared of them.

Kianna: Being kidnapped the chances are unlikely but i freak about it. I have grown up with crime shows such as law and order which probably haven’t helped.

Jayden: Clowns. Seeing them in public now is really freaky.

Sophie: Burning alive has always scared me.

What is the most reasonable?

Sydney: Clowns. because they are going around attacking people

Kianna: The fear of failure is a reasonable fear I have. It is applicable to different aspects of my life not just in a job but just in general like in sports and making good grades. To the point where it makes me not want to try if I am not hundred percent positive I will do well at.

Jayden: Death is greatest fear for me. But more of a family’s member’s death than my own.

Sophie: Spiders-seeing spiders and hearing about spiders just freaks me out.

What is a fear that some people have that you find funny/aren’t scared of?

Syd: Spiders and snakes i just don’t think they will actually hurt me.

Kinanna: I don’t really fear death, if that makes sense. I am really confident that I know where I am going and it’s an inevitable fact that everybody dies. So, honestly, it is actually something find a lot of peace that one day I will be reunited with the Father. So it is something I really just don’t find fear in.

Jayden: Fear of storms. I have became interested in them overtime so I don’t really get the fear at this point.

Sophie: A lot of people are freaked out about getting kidnapped but that is something that never really occurs to me as something that could happen. Not that I would want it to-I just don’t think about it.

Have you ever had a fear that you have had to overcome?

Syd: Talking in front of people. I was on Studco and we have to make announcements a lot so I just had to go through with it.

Kianna: I am afraid of heights and when I went to NYC and went up in the torch. It was high and I was terrified but I went up there and did it.

Jayden: I used to be super scared of storms. When I was younger I remember once being left alone in a storm and the windows shaking and me being terrified. But-Storms interest me because they used to scare me. I studied meteorology and weather patterns and learned to understand it. I got to know the weather patterns and the chances of actually being hurt by the storm. It helped me get through it.

Sophie: Death. I just realize that it is unavoidable so I figure why worry about it.

What makes you not afraid of something?

Syd: Being assured that I am not in danger

Kianna: Whenever I feel confident in the outcome.

Jayden: Faith is a big one. Learning more about it. Trusting God through it.

Sophie: Learning more about it and experiencing it and learning I can get through it.

Do you like to feel fear? Such as haunted houses, scary movies, ect? Why or why not?

Syd: I don’t chase after the feeling of fear. It isn’t a fun thing for me

Kianna: It depends on what it is. I do like the feeling but because of the fear of failure outweighs that sometimes.

Jayden: It depends on the scenario whether or not I like the feeling of fear. I’m a total adrenaline junkie when it comes to rollercoasters and stuff. But-I definitely would not run after clowns anytime soon.

Sophie: It depends on what it is. Like haunted houses or scary movies or roller coasters I love doing with my friends this time of the year.