Top 10 Fears. Fears of Death. Also, Fear of Inner Death.
Most Common Fears, Types of Fear Include Fear of Ridicule, Fear of Being Made Fun Of, Shamed. Top of the List of Fears

Top 10 Fears. Fears of Death. Also, Fear of Inner Death.
Most Common Fears, Types of Fear Include Fear of Ridicule,
Fear of Being Made Fun Of, Shamed.
Top of the List of Fears.

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into Life After Death

I long avoided questions about life after death. Does any god exist? I didn't know and don't know. But that's mattered less to me. Do we continue, in any way, after death? And do those we love continue? That's something I've long cared about.

I've written about so much. Not that.

Why not? One of the reasons is fear.

I knew I felt fear when I was writing about the dangerous intolerance and violence of parts of Islam.

But sometimes we don't know we're held back by fear. Among the top 10 fears, close to the top of any list of fears, among the most common fears is ... fear of being made fun of, ridiculed, shamed, belittled. And that's the fear I was bumping into. There are fears of death, childhood fears like of creepy crawly things from under the bed, fear of the dark, fear of aging, fear of open spaces and enclosed spaces. The list of fears goes on. But fear of being made fun of - that definitely needs to be on any list of fears, right near the top, among the top 10 fears.

I don't care when I'm on sure ground. Make fun of me for believing in equality between women and men, people of all races, people of different sexual orientations. Make fun of me for caring abut animals. I don't care.

But I'm not on sure ground when it comes to life after death, to ghosts and ghost dogs. No experience.

I haven't only been afraid of being made fun of. I've feared having other ideas belittled: Oh, if she's interested in that, you don't have to pay attention to anything she says. Nutcase.

I can see that fear of being seen as a flake snaking around in CARO'S QUEST. Flaky Fran Perkins wafts around waiting for messages from the beyond. But there's also level-headed Bert Cummings who can't help seeing the ghost dog. He'd much rather that nothing ever took him beyond the five senses, but he just can't help it.

Caro, too, has to deal with fear. Her big longing: to be a hero. Her big fear: to be a scaredy-cat. In her case, she's not afraid of being viewed as flaky. That's not one of her top 10 fears. To see a ghost dog, for her, would make her someone with special powers. She'd love that.

To go to CARO'S QUEST, click here

To go from top 10 fears, to
Caro and her hopes and fears, click here.