I have always been afraid of heights. ‘Petrified’ may be a better word than ‘afraid’. I remember back to hiking in a gorge in upstate New York as a child. It promised spectacular views and beautiful water falls. It was expected to be the highlight of our family vacation. We set out mid-morning on a warm August day. The sun was radiating, the sky was a bright shade of blue, and there were hordes of eager adventurers, excited to see the wonders the gorges assured. As I commenced on the hike, I was in awe of the beauty of my surroundings. With each step higher, however, I became more afraid. I could feel the nervous energy well-up inside of me. I was shaky and terrified. My fear triumphed when I was unable to complete the hike, and returned back to the safety of ground-level before too long.
I don’t exactly know where my quite-irrational fear of heights began. It’s not particularly unusual fear, however. Acrophobia, the fear of heights, affects 5% of the population on average. Women are twice as likely to possess it then men. This figure is startling to me, because I actually expected it to be more. Many people may sympathize and empathize, nonetheless.
Many fears you outgrow. You get exposed to things that challenge the fears. You overcome them. You look back, and wonder how you could have ever been so silly to fear them. Heights seemed to be something I could avoid, so I was never forced to conquer it. Coming to college in Vermont required me, however, to face my fear of heights. With all the spectacular hiking in the area, it is hard to say no to the opportunities our surroundings offer. Recently, my friends and I made plans to hike Stowe Pinnacle. It was not a difficult hike to the top. When you arrived, you were in a mass of excited Vermonters, all crowding around the edge to take the best picture. My friends and I found a spot and sat down right by the edge. As I looked down, I felt some nervousness. The ground was so far off. Yet, I reminded myself that it was all okay. I sat and stared out at the foliage for over an hour.
In this way, I realized how silly my fear of heights was. Many can probably relate: once they conquer their fear, they realize how trivial it had been. And still, we have long lists of things that scare us. But why let that stop us? My fear of heights held me back once, like fears traditionally do. Yet, it will not any longer.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrophobia