Selachophobia

According to the Discovery Channel website, "selachophobia" is the scientific term for an abnormal and persistent fear of sharks. I wonder, who coined this term and when? Was it before or after Jaws came out? "Selachophobia" was not really in the limelight until the producers for Jaws successfully terrified the masses.

What is the most scary thing for a person going into the ocean, is it really a fear of sharks, or the fear of the unknown? I am not afraid of the ocean, but I get scared whenever I realize my visual field is very limited in the sea. My fear of anything starts kicking in at this point. I do not get scared in the dark in my bedroom, because I know precisely what is there. I am not afraid of drowning, because I always wear a life jacket and stay near the boat.

I remember snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef region. I was excited to see the delightful colours of marine life, and was fortunate enough to spot a huge sea turtle that allowed me to swim close to it. I started following this turtle, forgetting to check where I was going and my principle of "staying near the boat". Luckily the turtle swam toward the boat anyway. But between the short span of time when I realized that I was not watching my directions and when I saw that I was swimming to the boat, I had almost a spasm of fear that lasted just for seconds. I remembered this travel program featuring a group of Pacific islands, where the host, after finding a half bitten turtle while wading in shallow water, said "this is likely the work of a shark". In my mind the association between the present turtle and an unseen shark was quickly made, and I swam so fast towards the boat that I later considered having a go at serious swim-training. I also wondered, if there really was a shark, whether our army-assault grade boat would fly my way to save me, and run over Australia's national treasure. I will own that the fear I felt was perhaps a bit silly. But I don't think it's entirely just paranoia-I was in a wild part of Earth, where the rule of humans did not apply-marine life will not selectively harm only those who are bad citizens. As close in proximity to other people as I was, my immediate environment was one where survival was the rule.

Perhaps "selachophobia" is nothing more than our natural survival instincts-and the inclination to avoid danger-gone unchecked.

Reading "Year of Wonders"... can't help but think this..

This weekend I read a book my mother-in-law lent me, a historical novel about the plague in 1666. In it a "heroine" suffers burying her husband and sons, bears the burden of the eventual dark hearts of her other family members, and comes through this ordeal both stronger and wiser.

But, while I enjoyed reading this novel, I can't help but note the following (I do realize this story is fictional; my beef is only with the plot):

1. The main character goes from being a complete illiterate whose confidence is hampered by childhood abuse by her alcoholic father, to someone capable in herbal-healing, mid-wifery, and reading in not just English, but also some Latin. She does all this in what, 2 years? I do realize this is supposed to be the extraordinary story of a woman, but I can't help but think this: her incredible transformation is hard to believe.

2. The plague comes to her village via a box of infected cloths. The tailor working with these cloths, who also happens to be the tenant at the heroine's house, becomes the first plague victim and tells her to "burn-it-all" before passing. Does she burn everything like she is supposed to? No. Having seen the horror of the condition as it kills the tailor, she still lacks the wits to destroy the "plague seeds", as is his last wish-and goes on to distribute the garments made with these diseased cloths to the people in her village, 2/3 of whom end up dying. OK, I know that in real life, it probably would not have been enough to completely stop plague by burning victims' belongings, but it likely would have helped. And anyways, this is a novel. But, I can't help but think this.... if she really is "extraordinarily" intelligent, as she has to be to learn about herbs and latin and reading in a short time, then wouldn't she have figured out "plague things with oozy puss things = VERY BAD & MUST BE DESTROYED"?!