My father, Richard Eslich, and uncle, John Eslich, created a haunted house out of an old factory building they had initially bought for storage. “The Factory of Terror” is located in Canton and has been recognized three times by Guinness World Records as the largest indoor haunted house in the world.
Due to my exposure, fear has become an imperative tradition during the fall season, as it has for many others. Though many people have associated fear with a negative connotation, I’ve always believed invoking the emotion has many benefits.
Fear of the known and unknown is what has motivated the human race to survive and live righteously. People often let their fears control them by wanting to limit the feeling of fear itself.
A quote my dad echos from John Wayne is, “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.”
This was the pinnacle of my growing up. I still live by this, as I think, “I would rather be scared by a fear than let the idea of it fester in me.”
Each fear does not have to be overcome, but should be utilized in order to understand the emotions it creates.
“Fear is a human emotion, and to be afraid is to be human,” Valkyrie Soden, a freshman studying journalism, said.
Soden said deciding to go to college causes many fears in people.
“Transferring that into college, now I'm a total ambivert, and I'm afraid to socialize with people…” said Soden.
She said she experienced bullying in middle school and became fearful of others’ perceptions of her. Soden also said friendships and relationships find her as long as she is still willing and putting herself out there.
Recently, in the class American politics, policy and administration, my professor brought to light that Generation Z has the least amount of trust in each other than any other generation. Lack of trust can lead to fear. I believe it’s because these different scenarios, true or false, have been introduced to us at a nationwide level through technology.
Due to the amount of knowledge people have, it’s more likely for people to assume the possible outcomes of every situation, rather than going into a situation blindly.
I had heard horror stories of love, rather than zombies and this had made me very timid to approach the dating scene. Even while establishing a relationship, I would keep my guard up just in case.
When I finally decided to let go of these fears, I fell in love and got my heart broken, and I would do it again because it finally proved the reality of my emotions. No one can predict what will happen if you face your fears, but it’s better to know your limits than cower in the possibility of them.
Every person reading this should point a spotlight on the scary corner of your mind this month; ‘tis the season.
Laynee Eslich is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Laynee about her column? Email her at le211424@ohio.edu
