Why is it that scaring people is so much fun? Most people love to scare and be scared, but why? In my personal opinion, it's because when you really scare someone, when you startle them right down to the core, you get to see them for who they really are.
As illustrated by the lyrics of Billy Joel's "The Stranger", "Well we all have a face that we hide away forever and we take them out and show ourselves when everyone has gone." UNTIL... of course, someone drags out that true self against our will. And that is the liberating miracle of a good scare.
It all starts with the hair standing up, the eyes bugging out, the screaming, the jumping, and then off comes the mask and the real person is revealed before they have time to recover. Some people reveal that they are vengefully aggressive, some are completely timid and deeply scarred, some are hiding very dark secrets, and some just love to be surprised by life.
Each person in this world is so different, and the experiences we face shape and mold us. Some things we let go of very easily, yet others dig deep down into our cores and become part of who we are. For example, due to things that happened while I was a kid, I really don't like large dog barking, nor forests at night. I get very skittish around them.
In addition, we bottle up so many emotions for so long, usually, that it becomes detrimental to our health. I believe scaring relieves that deeply held tension, freeing a person's spirit a bit and letting out their true feelings and opinions with no prolonged attachments to follow.
I know there are people out there who hate to be scared, and I think that's because they are either incredibly ashamed of who they really are or simply think it will destroy their "ultra-tough" image. Something along those lines. They don't want anyone to know that they are vulnerable.
What do you think? Why do you think scaring is so infectious and receives so varied reactions? Do you like being scared? What scares you?
No comments:
Post a Comment