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We all are very much aware of the fears of most children. However I was wondering what instills a fear of darkness into todays youth. I notice that darkness has always throughout history equaled evil. What is so evil about it?? Is ot the fear of the unknown or is it the fact that their minds were not opened enough to see the beauty of it?? I would love to get your take on this topic.

I am 18 years old and still fear the dark.
Partially because of the unknown, but majorly because of the fact that I am completely night blind.
Normally, everyone's eyes adjust to the dark so they can see shapes or objects in the room that they are in.
My eyes do not adjust. So I am forced to see pitch black wherever I go at night. This scares the crap out of me because I never know what I might step on or what might be around the corner.
You never know if there might be a rodent or a venomous spider on the ground. Therefore it could bite me and yes, I would feel it, but no, I wouldn't know what it was.
It's just a matter of how vivid your imagination is.
Mine, is very vivid.

I understand fully. What really intrigues me though is like small children without your condition who see things clearly fear the dark? It is because you put a nightlight in their room at birth so u can see what u r doing when you tend to them?

I actually love the dark. I've never thought bad about it, its just another aspect of nature, the balance to light.

I think giving kids a night light only teaches them there's something to fear in the dark. I've never used night lights with my daughter and she has no issues with the dark.

I would most definitely have to say fear of the unknown. I have an 8 year old sister and she is afraid of the dark simply because she does not know what is out there.... I am not so much afraid of the dark as I am aware of what may or may not be out there. My eyes adjust fairly well but that does not mean you can see everything. I still have thoughts about what could be out there and what exactly will it do if i run into it. Aside from that I love the darkness it's beautiful, especially moonlit walks or when it's so foggy out you can't see ten feet in front of you. I think it's beautiful!

There is an actual darkness scale, Zero being absolute darkness and five being a major metropolitan city like London or New York. The only place on earth you can go in the modern age that is still a Zero is the middle of the Pacific ocean, even remote places like parts of Africa only reach a 1. For those of you that have ever gone camping you know how dark it gets out in the woods but know that there is no place in North America that drops below a 3. Most people have never experienced true dark.

Baring that in mind from a historically point of view the fear of darkness is a justified one. Early on your greatest chance of being eaten was at night. As time passed we built home and shelters to keep animals out but that never stopped the human element. Raiders and highwaymen forced people to work eat and sleep in short shifts that lasted day and night. most of human history records that people really only slept during twilight hours... with 4 hours at dusk and another 4 after dawn. It wasn't until the invention of the lock that people really to rest through the night and the fear of it was something reserved for children.

i think we fear because we do not understand things. like im fine with spiders being close to me, but i think i would fear one being on me. i think its because i dont know or dont understand them. why do they need all those eyes or all those legs? also, i fear being in deep water. i know i fear it because i cannot see the bottom or see nito the darkness to whats there. i know there isnt anything bad in a creek or anything like that, but i still get uneasy if im in somthing like that swimming.

Hi everyone, just wanted to introduce myself, i am VampGoddess, and i just love this site. And i will add that i love the darkness, it is amazing. The moon is my favorite part of the darkness, nature is as well. And when i feel the darkness arise in me i just want to loose control and feed and kill.

that's a good question- soemtimes i fear being in teh dark probably cause you cant see anything lol but usually im not afraid of it- i like being in the dark cause my eyes hurt if there's too much light. i cant sleep unless its completely dark.
kids fear the dark probably cuz ppl scare them into thinking there's monsters in teh closet or bed (or because they slept with a night light ever since they were born)

I love being outside at night even though my eyes don't adjust. Full moons just give me the feeling of comfort and I think it is very romantic.
Foggy nights where you can't see anything is also a favorite of mine. It's just exciting.
The only time I fear the dark is if i'm inside for some odd reason. You would think I would know what is in my house at night. I guess I just watch to many scary movies haha.

dark, soundless. All of my senses suspended. I love it. It is a little like returning to the womb, i think.

There need not be darkness in the literal sense. In the ancient world darkness was equated with Ignorance. The Veil of Ignorance has to be lifted for one to witness Life at it smost horrid and most beautiful.
This is something that beings do not wish to do. Ignorance has been the culprit behind some of the worst crimes.
Over time Ignorance has become synonymous with Evil. Yeap.

I love the use of the old analogy equating Darkness with Ignorance - hence the phrase ' being kept in the dark' used to pertain to someone being kept without the facts ... one must also remember the other use of Ignorance in the phrase 'Ignorance is bliss' ... many of these old sayings have complete opposites almost as Light is to dark ... but can 'Bliss' be equated with Evil as 'Darkness' is to Ignorance above ?

The fear of the dark is based on instinct, many dangers still lurk in the night. Though most have disappeared with the advancement in technology.

I do not need to fear the dark, the dark represents the unknown, the hidden, and the mysterious. and I don't find any of those things scary at all. the world is full of dualities and some like me are more suited to the dark rather than the light.

wow I really wasnt expecting so many comments on this. I agree with all of you really. The unknown has always been something many struggle to comprehend. However I think that a lot of it could be avoided the fear I mean if we would,open our minds to the unknown. I think that if we take the time to understand our world and tbose in it the ignorance or lach,there of can be,reduced

It is not the darkness that instills fear, it is the knowledge that death is around every corner and with each shadow that reaches out, you could be taking your last breathe. *breathe deep*

mankind will always fear what they don't understand and with fear comes hate. man does not have night vision so they can't see in the dark and thus they feel vulnerable and blind which then leads to panic etc.

i like darkness and have absolutely no fear of it, hell i have no fear of anything period but i understand it. its the unknown and unforeseeable that is what frightens mankind and this is why they try to control everything.

Control it always comes to that. The would harness the wind and imprison her if they could

Take a tent to the top of a mountain, take some wine and firewood, spend 3 weeks in the woods...after 3 nights of fear you will grow to love the Dark, the night and it will love you back.

One,I dont believe that people fear the dark persey,but what is IN it.
And two,we are visual beings and when that is taken away from us,it cares the hell out of a lot of people.

A fear of darkness,really has nothing to do with having an "open mind" or whether we embrace the night or not.Many people love the dark,but remember,not many have experienced pitch darkness either.Like in a cave or something.And Im not so sure if even devoted dark lovers would want to remain ,for any length of time in Pitch black.True darkness.

Many reasons have been posted above that are vaild.
Another,small part of it has to do with Circadian rhythms.

I love this subject:)
I used to fear the darkness when I was a child. not actually the darkness but whats actually lurking in the shadows ... but now I embrace it
its a part of our natural cycle without light there would only be darkness and without darkness there would only be light... the balance of nature as it is in its full glory... there is no need to fear NATURE.....

LOL, I can promise you,if you had a 20 foot wall of water coming at you,you would be scared.
If you had 170 mph winds blowing debris hard enough to impale you,you would be scared.
If you were in a basement while a tornado took everything you owned,you would be scared.
If you were anywhere near a volcano when it errupted,you would absolutely be scared!!

There is no shame in fearing something that could tear us apart within seconds,so why do we keep insisting and trying to convinvce others that we wouldnt be.

Anyway,a healthy respect for nature or the dark isnt a bad thing...Its when people develop IRRATIONAL fears,that it becomes a problem.
Also,simply because someone prefers the day or light,doesnt always mean they are afraid of or dislike the dark.
I personally keep a night light on because of the nature of my job.All kinds of things can and do happen at night when it comes to horses.But I keep the light on so I can see enough to get up,dressed and outside fast in case somethig hqappens without bashing my head or breaking a foot.

Seriously,I like this subject,but to say a fear of darkness is somehow closeminded is just..well,its silly.

I don't fear the dark, enjoy walking in the night, the world is very different, quiet and inviting. Gives me the chance to think about matters and usually gives me fresh inspiration.

since the first humans came to knowledge of them selves,they feared from darkness.most of the predators of that time were nocturnal hunters.there were some speacies that egsisted at that time and in moderne age they become interpretation for deamons.it is in all humans inserted instinct that night is something to fear of.

I wanted to clarify to some I feel thought I was judging people and calling them irrational because they prefer the light. No I was speaking of those who relate darkness to evil and are henceforth afraid of it.

That's interesting about the two 4-hour shift sleeping. When I sleep, it's usually no more than 4 hours, and I feel better if I can do it twice, but I don't usually get to. I rarely sleep through the night, but not for rear of the dark. I think it's lingering childhood fear of my mother.

As I understand it when the subconscious mind is programmed with certain beliefs i.e darkness is bad/evil then the mind of children easily takes on that belief. Also, children are more psychic and intutive until they are shut down by their parents, vaccines, modern education etc.... And, coupled with the perpetual human fear of the unknown almost seals the child's mind that darkness is equated to bad.

I feel like alot of children today have pre conceived notions because of to much television as well as there parents. At least when I was growing up I knew what I was and what I was to become so I did not seem to fear much, infact going out at night and going into the woods was my most comforting element but it was because my family was honest with me about what I was and who we all were and how the cycle of the wold as well as life works instaead of filling me with untrue myths and stories. Of course that is just my opinion that I believe we instill our own fears. Until you have been with a pure Blood your eyes in my opinion are closed or maybe your seeing but tiwh blinders on. Once you accept who and what you are and stop running from it you will always be afraid of things. This is easy advice to give but very very hard to follow because it is in humans to be fearful and cautieous. It was humans whi instilled the fear of exposure in us and caused us to live in hiding for so long in fear of what they would do. They don't realize how little we really care about there pathetic lives most of us just want to be with our own kind and just left alone. There is nothing to fear from the darkness it is those who don't understand it that we have to fear because out of the fear comes there hate and anger and the ridicule they heap upon those things in which they don't understand.

But I do admit I love the darkness, its so liberating!

Darkness denies us oof one of our dominant senses, sight. WHat amuses me is what people imagine relative to the darkness. I have seen people try to pull of the dark look and fail. Darkness alludes to taboo as well.

Darkness = Ignorance.

To dispel the darkness, one has to dispel ignorance.
The unknown became something to fear about.
Fear has become a weapon that can be used to control.

The fear of darkness in most humans is probably a primal instinct.

Have any of you though that maybe other religions instilled this fear.

I personally have never feared the dark. In fact I love it! I always have and in truth i can actually see better in the dark than when it is bright outside. as for my opinion why people fear it it is because they have been taught that darkness is evil and all things evil come out in the dark. My grandfather was a preacher for a christian church and i had to hear all about it when i was a little kid. I think it is all ignorance and used for control.

Most individuals fear the unknown or anything that is not of the norm so to speak. Darkness for most is an unknown, causing most to fear it and those whom may cherish or embrace it.

..If you can walk in darkness, without fear of the light, then, you have complete the purpose of humanity.

I believe it is mostly the fear of the unknown and it is harder to see for most people. As I am diabetic my eyes are not as good as they used to be so both the bright sunlight and the darkness make it hard for me to see as I am slowly losing my vision but not completely at all. Also people do mostly associate Darkness with evil as they have been taught this by the media and there family usually. Mostly because of the religious propaganda. I embrace the Dark and the shadows and see it as home; I am more comfortable there than the light of day...

The medicine uses many names for the Fear Of The Dark:

Nyctophobia
Lygophobia
Scotophobia
Myctophobia
Achluophobia


Generally is known as Nyctophobia (from Greek nux, nukt-, = night and phobia = fear).

You can read about it here:


http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-nyctophobia.htm


It is an interesting aspect about it, as it states in the article this kind of irrational fear is not innate.
I was never afraid of the dark even if my senses are sharpened in complete dark areas and that is normal. In poetry and arts in Romantic period Darkness was a metaphor for mystery and for the creativity of the subconscious. That`s why I have opened a Mentorship for the ones interested.

Have I ever thought that religions caused a fear of the Dark? Yes,I have pondered it ,but dont feel that religions instilled it originally.I do however ,believe they perpetuate the thought that darkness equates evil.
Considering that fear of the dark came lonnnng before religions did,and that it had more to do with the fact that animals would get you,its pretty obvious they didnt create the original fear of it.
Its tough to move above something that is instinct,but over a period of hundreds and hundreds of years,and with the advent of technology that lights up our world as if it were day,it isnt hard to understand how man has managed to do just that.Even so,in young children and others the instinct is still strong.That coupled with hefty imaginations help keep fear of it alive.
We know so much more about it than we did back then,but even today,in some parts of the world,its not smart to move away from the light of a fire or other source of light because there is a good chance that animals WILL get you if you do.
Really,there arent as many "secrets" or things "unknown" in the darkness as some would like everyone to believe and there are many,many people nowdays who find beauty in it.

When I was a child I feared it because not knowing what's there made me feel scared, then got used to it. However nowadays I can't stand watching a horror movie alone at night and can't stand walking alone during the night. I am always watching behind my back. The fact that I can't see who or what might be there makes me feel unsafe, therefore scared.

LOL DNG! It is my imagination that gets the better of me if I let it.I have this thing about walking past windows at night sometimes.I think Im going to turn my head and see a pair of red eyes staring at me through the window! If I even let that thought FINISH manifesting in my brain,Im spooked for the rest of the night.
And thats not a good thing out here...by myself...in the woods.In the DARK!!

I like darkness it surrounds every thing in this universe

It isn't the dark that frightens people it is their imaginations. Try ths: Put a set of earplugs in your ears and take a walk in the pitch black, No fear, no imagining anything sneaking up behind you with every sound you hear. The dark is just like having one of your senses taken away, the sense of sight. Take away the sense of hearing also and you quickly learn to adapt.
Blind people aren't terrified every second of their life.

This is a good point,and today,this is pretty much the sum of it.
Way back when though,a fear of the dark was something that could save your life.But not because of monsters or fear of the darkness itself,but because of the animals that would getchya.Survival instinct is pretty strong and it takes generations to damper it..if ever.

Also,I would like to mention that,while you're right..imagination is a big part of this fear, you put someone in pitch dark,with no stimulus,after a time,the mind kicks us into a fearful mode because of this survival instinct.
So really,a fear of the dark does have a valid reason for existing in the first place.

I think that people are afraid of it because they cannot see what it's in it. It's rather a primal fear, an instinct.

For me, it is my refuge in a way. I seek the dark because I'm not okay around those in the light. I see the dark as my greatest friend.

That's a good way of putting it. With me, when I was younger and still even today sometimes it's the fear of the unknown. Our night vision, at least mine, isn't as good, so all of my other senses are going haywire and picking up on other things I might not otherwise notice. And I have hallucinations, so my mind plays tricks on me.

whys everyone of the darkness?when its the things in the light that mess with you more?

I don't think its the dark that scares people so much its the fact the world is finding out so many new things that the unknown is in the front of our minds so we fear the unknown and what lies beyond what we can physically see.

Hmm...

Darkness is one extreme,
Blinding light the other.

Both poles overwhelm us
and make us feel vulnerable.

In both cases the world that is related to vision disappears
and as ...nature dislikes empty spaces...,
our subconscious will immediately fill the lack of outer visions with inner visions.

As it is already deprived of its most important cognitive function, and thus scared,
the inner visions are often scary.

These are very good points I agree that primal instinct from back when have indeed added to the fear.