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Growing Up
When I was 5 years old I was terrified of quicksand. I used to dread the day that I would come across the stuff. But not once in my 17 years have I come across the stuff and I have yet to meet anyone who has come across the stuff. There are actually no reported quicksand related deaths. The density of an average human body is about 62 pounds per cubic foot, which is less than quicksand's 125 pounds per cubic foot. If you’re ever stuck in quicksand, you’ll actually float.
Clearly my fear was irrational, as are many when they’re concocted in a tiny human’s mind. The tiny humans have irrational fears. The tiny humans are afraid of things like quicksand and spiders. They fear simple things that they will likely never come across. The big humans are the ones with the real issues; taxes, poverty, famine, war, jury duty, death. The big humans have rational fears. They worry about not having enough money or not having enough hair.
You can judge a person’s age by asking them what their biggest fear is. I don’t know many 8 year old children that are afraid of a stock market crash. There’s also a big difference in the way a fear affects a person. A tiny human’s fear causes nightmares and tears. The big human’s fear causes migraines and financial cutbacks. Although both may cry, the tiny humans get scared. Big humans have fears, but they don’t get scared. At some point the tiny humans continue to have fears, but they stop getting scared. That is when the tiny humans become big humans.
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