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Wednesday, April 5, 2017

D is for DARKNESS and IWSG question


“One need not be a chamber to be haunted.”
 - Emily Dickinson


Why Are We Afraid of the Dark?

It is a terrible thing to be surrounded by darkness and have no light within strong enough to resist it.

Is there a collective unconscious as Jung postulated 

that remembers a time when the dark masked predators waiting to pounce? 


Or do we know that it is only the feeble blanket of light that keeps modern predators at bay?

On the streets of New Orleans after Katrina, I found out my mother was wrong --

there are monsters that hide in the shadows.


In the dark you are never alone --  

at least that is what your fears tell you.  

It is a fear that is instinctual and illusive, impossible to grasp and throttle. 

Oddly enough, researchers have found that people were more scared 

when subjected to frightening noises and images at night than in the day - even if the room was light.

It's thought our bodies switch over to a more vigilant mode at night, which makes us more jumpy.

Apparently, we are hard-wired to be afraid of the NIGHT

when our ancestors were in more danger than in the day when they could see danger approaching.

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Why do you think many are afraid of the dark?
 
 


IWSG Question:

How Many Hoops Are Too Many?

How many of you stayed away from the A TO Z CHALLLENGE this year because of the extra Social Media demands? 

How are those of you who are participating in it this year enjoying the extra hoops? 

I am not much of a social media participator so the removal of the linky set-up is a bit of a bother.

Let me know, all right? 

22 comments:

  1. I'm pretty sure I know why we're afraid of the dark, but that's a discussion some people would greatly disagree with me on, so I'm going to leave it for now. (See, I'm a peacemaker. How awesome am I?) ;) And how awesome are you for taking on the A to Z this year! Here's wishing you cheese and sanity!

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    1. Since I am Lactose intolerant, I will have to settle for sanity! :-)

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  2. Hi Roland - the A-Z has turned to darkness for me - but as I had the posts written I've gone with it ... the lack of linky list is a pain in the derriere ... I almost certainly won't do it next year ... the darkness has descended! Cheers Hilary

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    1. Yes, I hate the lack of a linky list, too. The reason given just seems off to me. Like you, I think the A to Z will do without me next year. Not that I will be missed, mind you. :-)

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  3. I wonder how a blind person would react?
    I'm glad I finally stepped back from the Challenge. (Even though that meant no list this year. The co-hosts wanted to get away from it anyway.) I'm going to enjoy next week away from the Internet.

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    1. Could not someone else host the linky? I will not be doing next year's challenge. I will not be missed I know. :-)

      Enjoy your week away from the internet!

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  4. Emily scared me when I was a teen. She still scares me. I recognized torment and suffering the first time I read her poetry.

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    1. It is thought by some that she suffered from agoraphobia. Tragic if true. :-(

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  5. Hi, Roland. I enjoyed your musings on our fear of the dark. I'm not doing the A-Z challenge this year because it's too time-consuming, though I did enjoy it last year. Happy scribbling to you.

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    1. And Happy Scribbling to you, too! Yes, the challenge can be very consuming of time -- as can NaNoWriMo!

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  6. I didn't know there was no A to Z linky. I stopped the A to Z challenge a few years ago, but it was fun while i did it. I just don't blog the way I used to.

    Here's my IWSG for April Stephanie Scott YA Author

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    Replies
    1. Every fad has its lifespan. I believe the A to Z has passed its zenith. Thanks for visiting. I visited you!

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  7. Creative post Roland. I was, and still am sometimes afraid of the dark.

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    1. Thanks for the compliment, Erika! Since my 6 weeks alone on the rough streets of Detroit at the age of six, darkness has not been my friend!

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  8. Love the Emily quote and congrats on participating in A to Z! I think there is something inherently scary about the dark...

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  9. Considering we are only born with a fear of loud noises and of falling, I don't know where the fear of the dark comes from. Maybe it's still connected to noises since we hear but can't see.

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    1. Considering our 9 months of silent, secure darkness of the womb, it is not surprising that we are born with only the fear of noises and falling. Nasty life soon teaches us that the darkness is not safe. :-(

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  10. I stayed away for the A to Z to keep my sanity this year. I'm not afraid of the dark, not yet...

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    1. Luckily, you were not on the streets of New Orleans right after Katrina!

      A to Z has run its course for me I think.

      Best of luck with this new week!

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  11. Why people are afraid of the dark? Lots of reasons. Like the unknown that it represents. What might jump at you unawares, sis much worse than the bump in the night monsters you believed in when you were a kid.

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    1. Yes, Lidy, we need no werewolves, for we eat our own ... usually in the dark. "-(

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  12. I understand the lamented loss of the Linky List. I'm not having a problem finding blogs to visit without it, but I don't visit around like I could and should.

    Hopefully someday in the future I can figure a way to come up with the kind of list that I'd really like to do--one that essentially manages itself without monitoring by co-hosts. I know it can be done, but I don't yet know how to do it.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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