Any look at current events paints a grim vision of the world at large; disease, wars, terrorism, general mistrust in everyone. During Halloween time, extending as far back as September when discount stores start shelving cardboard monsters and vampire costumes for toddlers, I start to notice a change in myself, and perhaps everyone. Halloween by itself epitomizes fear. It has become an icon masked by humor, a caricature of our fears of death and disease. Apparitions and skeletons remind us of our fragility. The Fall evenings are cool, unlike the comforting, extended daylight hours of Summer vacation time. It's a time that often people become more inward, sheltering inside rather than the backyard. It's when the first cold viruses appear the first weeks of school, confined in the same rooms for hours.
Halloween can be twisted slightly back to a humorous holiday if allowed. Since our 2 yr old twins must witness our giant ghoulish face adhered to our front door, we've taught them that it's just "a silly guy." And all through the neighborhood with the giant hanging guys from the Live Oak trees, the zombies crawling from their graves, all to be funny in the sights of our wee ones.
Some times fear is capitalized, 'Fear'. Why? Who's given this word a higher position as a proper noun? It must imply that Fear possesses a life, or metaphor of a god. Phooey I say.
Can we combat our fears by using Halloween as a comical reminder? We can absolutely reposition our fears to be comical caricatures that we can laugh at. Laugh at the fear that's crippling even the slightest part of you. Courage is the direct escape from fear and this will propel you into healthy courageous solutions to your fears.
