I read an article this week by a guy explaining that women spend a good deal of their lives afraid of physical violence. This resonated with me but then I read various commenters (mainly women) who were pretty outraged at this insulting idea. Fair enough. I wasn't outraged - I am almost always fearful for my safety to some degree, thinking about where other people are (especially behind me, especially if it's dark). Checking my door is locked, carrying my bag diagonally across me, sitting in a train carriage with plenty of people. I walked alongside the canal the other day but turned around after a while because there weren't too many people out walking and there was a fence along the canal so the only way a person could get away would be to jump in the canal. (Also the geese were a little scary.) These were my thoughts. Not entirely rational really, and partly from being in an unfamiliar (though increasingly familiar) place. I'm happy to be alert but I don't like the fear. I wonder what life would be like without it.
Generally though I power through because you can't not do things, and maybe that's just what life is like for everyone. Powering through fear, cheered on by relevant quotes (Lord knows quotes about fear keep pinterest in business) and by thinking about stars.
image by me
No comments:
Post a Comment