Singapore is
no place to live if you suffer from demophobia or ochlophobia. The former is a
fear of crowds and the latter is an abnormal fear of crowds. I am an unsure of
the difference between the two phobias.
I am no
psychologist.
I took this
photograph this morning on my way to work:
The view is
from the top of the escalator from the Raffles MR.T station and the picture was
taken at 8.00am this morning. It was not yet peak hour.
Large crowds of
commuters happen in most big cities around the world but Singapore is very
densely populated. It is currently the third most populated country in the
world. Population density is determined by the number of residents comparative
to the land space available for residence.
Only Macau and
Monaco are more densely populated than Singapore.
Enochlophobia
is the fear of being crushed and Singapore is also no place for people
afflicted with this condition.
You will note
the lack of smiling faces in this crowd. Geliophobia is the fear of smiling. I
think that this is a fairly common condition here in Singapore.
I am not
making any of these phobias up. They are real. The world is full of fears that
are both rational and irrational.
It is a scary
place.
The origin of
the word 'phobia' is Greek and it is derived from the term 'phobus' - which
means an irrational fear or aversion. It is associated with panic and flight.
Being scared is different to having a phobia. Rationality is the
differential.
A phobia is an
irrational fear.
I have quite a
few fears and I think that most be people do. There are things that I don't
like and these include clowns, spiders, snakes and the thought of being buried
alive. When I was little I remember being terrified of the thought of dying. Now
that I am an adult I don't like the idea that I will die but I accept this as
just the way things are. I haven't reverted to a religious conviction though to
deal with this thought, I simply accept it as just being an inevitability.
I remember
being really scared when I was little that my Dad was going to die when he was
in the army and he was doing tours of duty in Vietnam. I don't think that was
irrational though. It was a reality and I was just a little boy and I didn't
want my Dad to die.
I still don't.
The irrational
fear of clowns is called coulrophobia. I don't believe that I suffer from this
condition. I just don't like them. The irrational fear of spiders is called
arachnophobia and for snakes it is ophidiophobia. The fear of being buried
alive is taphophobia. I have checked to see if there is actually a fear of fear
but alas there is not.
My most
current fear is of a large and angry Danish guy whose name is Jens. This is
pronounced "Yens" and he is a neighbor of mine. This fear is quite
rational. Yesterday I suggested to the management of my apartment complex that
he may be responsible for pooing in the swimming pool. I doubt that he is in
fact the culprit but in a moment of madness I suggested to the building manager
Mr. Tan that he could well be responsible for the floater that was discovered
in the pool.
With the
benefit of hindsight this was probably a most unwise and inappropriate
accusation.
Mr. Tan
tonight informed me that Jens was asked directly by himself if he did poo in
the pool and his response was one of furious denial. Mr. Tan told me that he
did not name me as the accuser but I have a suspicion that one of the security
guards may have told Jens that it was me.
The security
guys have not forgiven me for the forbidden fruits incident that occurred over
the Chinese New Year period and they gave me a funny smirky look when I arrived
home this evening. Jens is an enormous and somewhat frightening Scandinavian
who has already expressed his dislike to me of all things Australian.
He resembles a
deranged Viking.
If he does
think that I suggested he was the pooer-in-the-pool he may well come after me
seeking violent vengeance and retribution.
I
am fearful of this.
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