Besides death, what is your biggest fear?

yes doesn't everyone know that public speaking is a greater fear than death for most people.

but actually the worst fear I have is anything (horrible) happening to my children...

Are you afraid when public speaking is inflicted on your children?

That sounds like the horrors!

actually my kids have been in musicals - one has had a solo and both have had speaking parts.

I do get fearful though when my daughter pitches in softball - fortunately she has only been backup pitcher - but speaking not so much

Set- Problem is, a person, at the early stages of dementia, knows it. I ran a caregiver group. Most of the people were spouses of people who had dementia. It was so frustrating for those afflicted in the early stages of the disease. They knew that something was wrong, but could not understand what was happening to them. As the disease progressed near its conclusion, they no longer had much of an awareness of anything.

Death is not my biggest fear, or even a big fear of mine at all. Death won't be around as long as I am. Conversely, I won't be there when my death is. Either way, death cannot trouble me. I am, however, quite a sissy about the pain preceding death, say if I have one of the mean forms of cancer. Also, the prospect of losing my faculties scares me greatly. But not death itself. Indeed, I intend to commit suicide just before the pain of my terminal illness gets overwhelming, or just before I lose my faculties to dementia, or Alzheimer's, or whatever.

Do you ever go into deep water, or any type of water where sharks live?

If you don't go into deep water, no reason to fear it. Ditto for sharks. Have you seen a lot of sharks up close and personal ceili?

Maybe you have, but I always wonder why people fear something they will never encounter.

Me?
Drowning.

So, when I so swimming, I wear my fins and swim gloves, and only go in pools.
It's also why I wouldn't own a car with electric windows.

So I'm guessing you're the self-hating type, as you are afraid of drowning, which is something that can only be done voluntarily. Unless you're afraid of someone else drowning you.

For not being troubled about 'death' you sure seem to spend alot of time talking about it, in fact your entire post consisted of 'death'.

The misperception that death is supremely fearful is a fairly common one. I know from experience that it takes a lot of work to debunk. That's why I spent so many words talking about it.

So, all those people on the Titanic who drowned volunteered?

I'm sorry, I didn't realize you saw having a boat you're on split into two as a realistic possibility.

Yup, I've been in and around plenty of deep water, and I'm planning to move back to the sea in a few years. I've been in water where great whites are rarely seen and wouldn't you know it...
Although I live on the prairies and I rationally know that sharks can't get at me - even when swimming in fresh water and something errant touches my foot. I also live a virtually snake free place, doesn't matter, I still recoil in fear. I've seen some really bad buggers in the wild, hidden and waiting. I realize they are probably more scared of me but... I also realize that most fears are irrational and therefore, I own my stupidity. But, when i'm sleeping and a shark comes into view, I can't for the life of me convince my unconscious self that I live on flat land.

On the other hand, I have absolutely no problem speaking, performing or making an ass of myself in public.

Doesn't have to 'split into two', as we saw earlier this year with the Costa Concordia.

That is one of the most bizarre things I've ever heard.

How do you figure drowning in voluntary?

Sharks! I’m always afraid to go into the ocean because I don’t know what’s down below.

Oh and the brown recluse spider. We have a lot of them in Florida. I remember reading an article where a man was bit and lost his leg. One lady I work with was bit on her foot, she went straight to the doctor, had to get steroid shots and antibiotics.

I love the water and my wife and I are maybe a bit foolhardy when it comes to being out at sea. Weve taken folks with us and have had sevceral guests on our boat show signs of being "deepwater skeert"


Im afraid of falling into a sewage lagoon.

When I was 15 my dad and I took his sailboat for a four-day weekend to the Channel Islands. He left me up there sailing alone while he was downstairs showering. I was trolling with the fishing pool and sailing at the same time. I got a bite on the pole, it was so strong I couldn’t hold the pole and sail at the same time; it took off running with the fishing line. The line finally broke and what ever it was just took off.

What ever it was it was pretty big, scared the hell out of me.

Also, sharks can attack in pretty shallow water....mind you, we have mean sharks here.

There's even places where one species of shark can swim up fresh water channels quite a long distance and get you there. I forget the name of the species.