I don't buy it. It isn't possible by definition. It's not even the least bit peaceful, it's as stressful as it's possible to get, and no one has explained to my satisfaction how it can be otherwise. I wonder if anyone even can.

I spend my thunderstorms either with the computer, TV, and a CD turned WAY up or else in the bathroom with the fan on playing The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in my head. Either way I shut my earflaps against my ears and hum.

Point is, I have to drown out the noise somehow and I don't know how long it's going to take so I need to distract myself somehow. It's an excess of stimulation, and I cannot possibly relax until it's over--and you never know when that will be.

I cannot possibly take seriously the idea that anyone can find a thunderstorm relaxing. That's an oxymoron. Does not compute. Does not compute.

Might as well find an air raid relaxing, or Godzilla stomping around the city....

the thunderstorms.....

i never am relaxed when they hit but i never am scared...only sad, it reminds me of when i was little and my family was whole....when my dad didn't leave my mom and my brother didn't get arrested....it reminds me of how much Ive grown and suffered over the years....only sadness in the darkness of the storm's.

I can't explain to you why I find them relaxing i just do. It's like trying to explain colour to a blind person.

@Gabe: It must be.

@lasthunter: See, that I can fathom. I can fathom someone finding thunderstorms exciting (though I don't--I find them scary and overwhelming) but I cannot fathom someone finding it relaxing. I'm sorry to hear that, though.... *hugs*

Anyway, that's probably going to be it for me talking about it. I'm not trying to "convert" anyone or make them feel badly for feeling that way or resent me for what I'm saying. I just cannot understand that, and it frustrates me, especially when it seems to be such a frequent thing....

Ask a scientist. Not just a neurologist. Not just a psychiatrist. Not just an anthropologist, but to any generic scientist!

I never fear the dark for I have...

an Anubis Night Light!

Truth be told, I doubt that having Anubis, the Egyptian god of death, sitting in my room all the time, would be very comforting. I just sleep with my main light on.

.....I for one have always liked Anubis, he is pretty much the kindest out of all the Egyptian gods (as in the one most likely not to murder you.) and in the Egyptian culture death is respected and praised not feared......I do not fear death.

Strange fear... excessive surrealism. It makes my head hurt a lot, and when I get those kinds of dreams, I tend to consider them as nightmares rather than 'fun' or weird dreams.

Not so strange... echinoderms: starfishes, sea urchins and sea cucumbers.

Death is not to be feared but neither is it to be praised. There's a reason we associate it with negative feelings--we were not made to die.

That's debatable, since everything in the physical world seems to have a life expectancy.

he's right so lets just start with a new fear....

fear of heights ?

Fear of going insane maybe?

Ok we'll start with that. Is there anyone out there afraid of going insane?

Yes, somehow. But I have no problems with the hights if there is something around me, it can be a glas-cabin, or a railing 1,60m high or whatever. Doesn't matter if there is a 100 meter abyss. But beeing on a ladder is not so easy, it's ok for the first meter but it should be not much higher.

My fear of heights is really strange.

I don't really have a fear of heights except when I'm on an extended extension ladder. It could be secured to the ground, bolted at the top, and I would still feel uneasy going up or down it. Once I'm off of it, heights no longer affect me again.

It's not even with a step ladder, just an extention one. I could climb to the top of a 12 foot tall step ladder with 6 inches of wobble at the top and be just fine. It would be like: "I'm at the top of the ladder, let me see if it's stable." *Tries to wiggle the ladder* CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK "Meh. Seems safe enough to me." But put me on a totally stable extension ladder, and all of the sudden I'm nervous.

Do you work as a fireman? Kewl!

No, I don't. By extension ladder, I meant one of these:

I've never been on one of those but they do look scary.

im ok with ladders.

well it may be because im a carpenter's son and Ive seen far scarier things

They're not really scarier than any other big ladder.

ever been on top of a ninety story building out in the open with the wind blowing.....yea try that on for size.

That's not scary at all. I really don't care about any heights that are more than 100-200 meters.
But any height between 1 and ~200 meters gets me scared somehow... It's like 'What? Going to the top of a scyscraper? It's fine, changing a light bulb is far more terrifying!'

im not talking about being in the room.....ever been on the tippity top outside?

It was lower than the 90th floor, but yes. Can't say that it was legal, though, but that was the only thing that made me nervous back then

Oooh, I hate passing mirrors in general. Blame EVERY GHOST IN MY HOUSE MOVIE EVER for that.
And the other fear... I was once sleeping and I woke up in the middle of the night. I had a bookcase in front of my bed at the time, and there was a black kitten walking in place... UPSIDE DOWN, on the underside of the second shelf. I knew I was hallucinating since we aren't allowed to have a cat in our house but **** that freaked me out. I slept on the downstairs couch that night.
I also sometimes see a white and black cat for a split second in my peripheral vision. My friend had a cat that looked ominously similar to it, but it's dead now...

"yawn" ghost cats really? your scared of ghost cats.......well i guess that we all have our own fears....but cats? can you please explain why you find ghost cats scary?

Well it really startled me more than it scared me. But it was nonetheless surreal and I think it was my first indicator of insanity.

meh. once you start hearing a voice in your head telling you to attack someone with a box of fruit then you can claim insanity...until then you are only sick.

I'm afraid of having a mental regretion and doing strange things that would haunt me forever and inmedeately after..... Again.

yea you get used to stuff like that.....i currently have eight voice's in my head.....im a major crazy.

The only voice I'd not be scared to have in my head is the voice of Morgan Freeman.

On the other hand, the voice of Gordon Freeman would make me explode into a million tiny explosions that explode into a million tiny explosions ad infinitum.

I asked Gordon about his opinion on your comment, he said:"....."
It was very enlightening.

my life is narrated by Morgan freeman........i could die now with no regrets....

Ever stood below a wind turbine and watched the blades swinging down at you? Chop chop.

I really don't like spiders or wasps.

Last time I got really scared though was going through Scream ar Madame Tussauds. It's pitch black, you've just got to follow the passage along, you can't see anything, and then WHAM! A ghoulish, bloodied person jumps out right beside you! Scares the willies out of you!

I'm not squeamish at the sight of blood or anything - that's kind of a prerequisite of studying to be a veterinrian. What gets me is the idea of pain. I hate the idea of causing it or seeing it being caused. That said, it's not really a fear - just an intense dislike.

Yeah those haunted house places where they actually hire people are really scary! Went to the Halloween Haunt at knott's berry farm and I was crying. Yes, I know I'm a coward...

Can't say I cried but I did shake for a good 10 minutes after!
I do highly recommend a visit to Madame Tussauds though - it is an amazing place. Just don't go through the Chamber of Horrors or Scream if you're faint hearted/squirmish/young because it can be frightening and very gruesome and realistic.

I don't think I'll be doing that, but thank you for the recommendation. Personally, I prefer to be the one scaring people.