Years ago my son had a fear of bees. We tried all sorts of ways to help him past it, but nothing worked. One day I was leaving the house and noticed a pair of bumblebees enjoying the flowers around our mailbox. I knew bumblebees were pretty calm critters, so I reached out and gently stroked the back of one of them. The bumblebee didn't mind at all. So, I went and got my son and showed him how to carefully pet a bumblebee.
The amazing thing was, he did. It was a lightning stroke moment. And, completely successful! My son hasn't feared bees since. And, it demonstrated the principle of facing your fears head on. We all need that lesson, and I'm sure we need it more than just once. I never expected a bumblebee to provide that point.
Fears are universal throughout the human race, and tons of stories take advantage of that fact. We fear what we don't understand, or what we don't see, or anything stronger than we are. And when there isn't anything to fear, we make something up and fear that.
As Bob Newhart said in a terrifically funny skit, "Stop it!"
- M
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