Why Does the Dark Cause Fear?
Fear is an instinct. We are by nature afraid of the things we do not know all about. That is why knowledge is so valuable; when we know about a thing we are sure of our ground. When we are where it is light we can see what is there; when it is dark our imagination becomes active and because we do not know for certain what is there in the dark before us, we imagine things.
Fear of the dark, however, cannot be said to be entirely natural. It comes naturally only when we have come to the age when we begin to imagine things. Animals have no imaginative powers and they do not fear the dark. Some people say that the fear of the dark is bred in us, but little babies do not fear the dark. If they are properly trained they will go to sleep in the dark and will prefer the dark. As they grow older children begin to fear the dark, but that is because their imagination is coming to life and because parents so often make the mistake at this stage of training their children of either encouraging the feeling of fear that darkness brings for the convenient means of punishment it provides through threatening to put the light out, or because they do not take the pains to show that there is no reason for fear.
Most children who fear the darkness are really taught to do so permanently by parents or servants. When a boy or girl first begins to imagine things in the dark, many parents run quickly to the child and say, “Don’t be afraid” or “There is nothing to be afraid of,” and in doing this they perhaps mention the word “fear” for the first time. Repetition of this will always cause the child to associate the word “fear” with “darkness.” As a matter of fact when the boy or girl first shows fear of the darkness, parents should go to them and quiet their fears, but talk about anything else but fear and direct the child’s mind away from any thought of fear.
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ROPE.