I have always had an irrational fear of sharks. Even in our pool, when I was little, I was afraid of swimming alone at night and would imagine fins following me from the shadowy depths… Like I said, irrational. It has gotten better over the years, but I still like being around others when I wade in the surf or swim out a bit farther when at the beach… That said, I know the importance of sharks in the food chain (and that’s not to say they belong in Chinese soup bowls). And that said, I found the recent run of anti-shark and other underwater weapons over at Wired very interesting:
SEALs v Sharks 1: Bang!
SEALs vs. Sharks 2: Darts!
Splash, Splash, You’re Dead: The Military’s Next-Gen Water Gun
Raising a family in Thailand // Documenting Issan food, culture, music, and people
I have the same phobia. As much as I like the ocean – being on top of is fine. Under the surface is just not acceptable. There are many ways in which to become deceased. Being eaten is also unacceptable. Now that I think about it, not sure I’m in any hurry to go to some of them parks in Africa neither.
A healthy respect for sharks is fine, as they are formidable predators. What’s not healthy is the fact that a couple of generations has been screwed up by the “Jaws” movie, and can hardly swim in a chlorinated swimming pool, let alone the beach, without hearing the incessant beats of the theme music, “DA, da, DA, da, DA,da,….”
Yes. A phobia is an IRRATIONAL fear of something, and phobia clearing is very useful! You won’t get stupid around sharks, just more rational and neutral about the issue.