Are you afraid of the dark? If so, why?

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   Laura Schneiderposted 10 years ago

   Are you afraid of the dark? If so, why?
   
   What is it about the dark that makes people afraid? Do you think it is culturally dependent or universal to all cultures that many people are, to some degree, afraid of the dark?

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   duffsmomposted 10 years ago

   I am not afraid of the dark but I am very uncomfortable in the dark. I tend to have night blindness and so it is REALLY dark for me. It makes me feel very vulnerable not to be able to see and I think that is what makes some people so uncomfortable with it-so many of us are visual creatures.

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      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Night blindness sounds scary! I think you're right about people feeling vulnerable when they cannot see. I wonder if we have any totally blind Hubbers who can explain how they feel about the dark? That would be fascinating to know their experiences!

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   Tusitala Tomposted 10 years ago

   I think people are more afraid of not being able to SEE what might be lurking in the dark, that is the problem.  It quite likely stems from the days when we lived in caves and kept close to the fire-light, knowing that outside in the darkness of the night there would likely be predators and all manner of dangerous beasts.   
   
   Some years ago I undertook my first Vipassana Meditation Course and the hall was deliberately darkened though one could still see.  But as I took further courses and was regarded as an experienced meditator I was allocated a 'cell' in the 'pagoda.'    These cells, once the door was closed and a towel or blanket placed along the bottom of the door to stop any light from coming in from underneath, once the meditaor had switched off the light within the cell, it was ABSOLUTELY dark.   So dark that you could not tell the difference if you opened or shut your eyelids.
   
   For meditators like myself, the absolute darkness was wonderful.   These cells were also pretty well sound-proofed, so little noise penetrated.   With sight and hearing senses out of the way, it was far easier to 'go within' as is required with this type of meditation.
   
   So, with me, it all depends on the circumstances.  Certainly I'd rather walk home in the daylight than in the dark.  Who knows what criminals or agressive people one will meet on the way.  In our modern, 'civilized world,' it is still generally safer by day than by night. 
   
   Am I afraid of the dark?   No.  Do I prefer to see what I'm doing and where I'm going, Yes - in most circumstances.

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      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Cool thoughts, T.T., thanks for sharing! I love meditating by candlelight, but next time I'll try it in total darkness (silence I can't control in the city :-( ). I bet it makes a huge difference! Love the reference to cave dwellers, too. Cheers!

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   ChitrangadaSharanposted 10 years ago

   I am not afraid of the Dark. But nowadays we are so much used to light that I feel uncomfortable and uneasy.

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      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I'm the same way, most of the time. Bedtime is the one exception--under the covers, I feel safe and protected and can turn off all lights. Thanks for commenting, ChitrangadaSharan!

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   CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years ago

   I'm a big wimp.  I'm totally afraid of the dark!  LOL  I have no idea why.  You'd think if the dogs weren't barking, there is no boogeyman hiding around the dark corner to pop out and yell boo!  Or better yet, if I'm sleeping, I have to be totally covered up.  No toe or arm can be hanging out of the bed coverings for fear a ghost might grab me.  I know, I'm ridiculous!

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      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You are most definitely NOT ridiculous! You are brave for admitting your fear of the dark. Why not sleep with a nightlight on (no law against it)? Then you're never totally in the dark. You might even get better quality sleep with a little light. :-)

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      CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That's true.  We have a dimmed light that I leave on and that does help me sleep.

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   tirelesstravelerposted 10 years ago

   Love the dark.  All your senses come alive in the dark.

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      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I was hoping SOMEBODY would love the dark! :-) You are correct, all of your other senses "come alive" in the dark--I love that feeling. I have to be in a place where I feel safe otherwise I just get nervous, such as walking after dark alone. Cheers!

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      gmwilliamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Now, that is MY KIND of response! Bring it ON!

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      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I used to love going for walks in the dark alone in my neighborhood and on nearby paths--especially on foggy/rainy nights. Then my friends and family kept telling me it wasn't safe, so I promised I'd stop. :-( It helped me collect my thoughts.

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   MysticMoonlightposted 10 years ago

   I, for one, love the dark and have all of my life. Growing up, all of my friends thought I was rather unusual because I had no fear of the dark (or anything in it). I always got picked for the oh-so-treacherous job of retrieving something from the car or anything outside at night While I have no fear of the dark, I can see why people do. I mean, it is dark and of course vision is limited and other senses are then heightened making any bump in the night or shadow seem mysterious and "scary". Perhaps those that fear the dark do so because they feel a loss of control to some degree in the situation leading to a sense of vulnerability.

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      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      RIGHT-ON, RIGHT-ON!

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   MrsGray32posted 10 years ago

   I am afraid of the dark.  Mostly because I am afraid of the unknown,  what I cannot see or hide from.  It creeps me out to be in a dark room by myself.  I am even more scared of being outside in the dark, even with a flashlight.

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   thinkingmindposted 10 years ago

   Ya sometimes i am afraid of dark when i am walking alone. The reason i feel is that i feel that some ghost or some evil spirit is following me or someone is trying to harm me.

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      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That would be really scary!! I wasn't scared of walking in the dark until my friends/family kept telling me it was dangerous and to stop doing it. Since then I've been nervous unless my dog (black Lab) is with me (she's very protective, HUGE bark!).

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    Justasonposted 10 years ago

    yes , i am afraid of the dark , because i always feel that there is someone following me but i can not see him , haha

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    myeffortsposted 10 years ago

    Basically we are afraid of the unknown. In the dark, we are afraid of the unknown things in it, not the dark itself.

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    gmwilliamsposted 9 years ago

    
    
    Written many hubs on......THE DARK.... The dark in the human consciousness & psyche represents foreboding, fear, &.....the UNKNOWN.  The dark is seen as suspect & below the radar.  The dark is something not to be trusted because it is not evident as the light is.  The dark is also seen as quite....demonic, one really doesn't know what CAN BE & IS lurking about.  The dark is seen as bad & the antithesis of the light is what is good. 
    
    The dark also represents the different, the weird, & the strange.  It is also different from what is the everday, the normal events of life.  The dark can be described as mysterious and oh so seductive.  People can be quite uncomfortable with which isn't readily apparent to the eyes, psyche & consciousness.  In fact, that is to be FEAR, if not ABHORRED.
    
    The dark is oftentimes associated with eVIL or what IS CONSIDERED to be evil.  It is also forbidden & taboo.  The dark represents violations of conventional taboos forbidding us not to go beyond what is accepted and proclaimed.  The dark is the prototype of the rebel who defiantly tells society to jump.  The dark signifies a coolly self-confident person who is going to do what he/she WILLS regardless.........
    
    The dark is THE OTHER.   The dark is oftentimes used as an excuse for people to protect the desires & natures which society deems wrong, negative, or forbidden.   People project these longings into a dark persona whether it is their other self or to another group, especially a societal or sociocultural outgroup.  This outgroup is used as a pretextual bases for people to rationalize their more subconscious & unconscious longings & desires.  This dark is often marginalized, even demonized as evidence in societal behavior & attitudes towards those deemed members of a particular outgroup.  Should have written a hub on this!

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    retief2000posted 9 years ago

    It is an evolutionary imperative to be wary of danger. Before fire the dark was full of predators. After fire the darkness was merely pushed back, not eliminated and predators still lurked in the dark. As a species we lived for thousands of years fearing the darkness in a rational attempt to avoid being eaten.

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