[erie]

I think I got help from studding the experience of the 'anatomy of fear' in 'The Emperor Jones', a 1920 play by American dramatist Eugene O'Neill. It helped me understand how irrational fear would gradually get into me. I was stranded in desert area known for hyenas. Walking with a heavy backpack for 7 hours in complete darkness to reach the camp, I started 'seeing' things in the dark. I started singing first, then praying, couldn't find stones to throw at dark spot I though were water ponds formed during the heavy rain, I had a break down. Then I saw the lights of the camp that showed me how I deviated from the path to it by a far margin. But something pleasant happened afterwards, I felt I conquered fear and my tolerance for unpleasant things got a big boost.

[cnity]

This is an awesome illustration of character development by trial, a thing lost in our modern culture. Thanks for the anecdote!