The Only Thing We Have To Fear...

As humans, we are naturally accustomed to feel fear. Ever since we could turn the TV on, flip a page in a picture book, or tell stories, we became aware of what exactly could give us the chills. Perhaps certain ideas or thoughts made the hair on the back of our necks stand frigid and still. For me, those three things were (and still are): sharks, tarantulas, and vampires. No, I do not find vampires romantically appealing in any way. Don’t try to dissuade me, or convince me that their lust for my blood is thrilling and romantic. No. You will fail.

I recently began a new job here in Austin; one which forces me to take public transportation. Yes, 'forces' is a rather strong word. People take the metro all the time, no? No, indeed. Coming from Houston, I rarely had the chance to set foot on a city bus. Walking was always out of the question, unless I wanted to char to a crisp. And then shower 4,300 times when I got to the office. In a nonexistent shower. And homegirl does not look cute on a bike in the wee hours of the morn. Honestly, I would probably run into a tree or a pole or something. Ergo, my car became my best friend.

But my main point to all of this is, regarding my personal apprehension towards the bus, I got to thinking—why are people… afraid of other people? Why do we clench our bags a little closer when someone else steps closer? Why do we prefer to put our earbuds in rather than smile and greet others we share the road with?  I’m the first person to admit it—my earbuds are in right now, and I’m in public.  But I look around and realize I'm not the only one. I read once that what many humans fear is ambiguity. We are inherently cautious of the unknown. Maybe we fear that engaging with someone new will lead to discomfort, embarrassment, awkwardness. Or perhaps we feel that things could escalate unexpectedly and we could possibly end up putting ourselves in danger?  But who’s to say that just because it is unknown, it is bad? Yes, it could possibly end badly, but it could also possibly end very well. In fact, it could even make someone's day. People are just like us. Other people. They love, they feel, they eat, they sleep, they live. I haven’t completely figured it out yet, but it’s something to think about. In the meantime, I pledge to not hesitate to return a smile, to take my headphones out, to say ‘hello.’  And let’s face it, vampires are way scarier anyway.

Keep on smiling, 

Xoxo 

Ale