People are afraid of the dark, others find it exciting
When people talk about the dark, they mean a place or situation where there is no light. Light could refer to natural or artificial light. But for me, and I am sure for many people, the dark is really associated with the black dark of the night. Some people are afraid of the dark because it is often associated with the time when evil and bad elements come out and play. It often starts in childhood when the darkness of the night induces a child’s mind to think of goblins and monsters.
My parents trained me to sleep in my own room since I was very young. I remember some nights when I had nightmares, and I would wake up feeling that I was the only person left in the world. At first, my parents would rush to me when they heard me talking or screaming in my sleep. But later on. they put a bed-side lamp in the shape of a horse next to my bed. For a long time, that lamp was my shelter in the night. On nights when I woke up from frightening bad dreams, the light calmed me down. Besides its association with evil and ghosts, some people are afraid of the dark because most crimes such as robbery and housebreaking occur at night. The unknown is always scary. In the same way, you may never know what lurks in the dark, what is out there to frighten or confront you.
On the other hand, the unknown is mysterious, and as such can be exciting and challenging. I am one of those people who find the dark fascinating and adventurous. Many writers and song writers get inspiration for their work in the late hours. When I started to try my hand at poetry, I found that my ideas come mostly in the night. It must be that in the stillness of the night, when the working hours are over, creativity is more intense.
Some people also find the dark exciting because it is during these hours that nightlife begins. Take a walk along Orchard Road during the nights, and you will see people rejuvenated by the bright lights of the nightclubs and discos. I am not a “party person” but I believe that the darkness of the night has a relaxing effect on people. Perhaps it is because their work-day is done. But I think there is something more to it. The dark holds an element of adventure, a feeling that anything can happen. That is why all nightclubs have dark interiors – so that the illusion and the relaxing mood of the dark are continued.
Another interesting thing that I have noticed about the dark is that it changes its mood in different settings. Under the bright lights of the city, the dark is racy. I remember walking along a quiet beach in the East Coast of Malaysia one night. There, the dark was calm. You could hear the voices of the wind and the sea. It reminded me of a wise, old man. While the sun in the morning brings light and hope, we need not be afraid of the dark. The dark is a gift from nature. Its mystery stimulates our minds and senses.
