Childhood fears?

[graykin]

Once, many years ago, I remember watching a series of documentaries on the Discovery channel about meteors. There was supposedly a meteor heading for Earth, and they would have these advertisements for the shows by saying "Three Days to Impact", "Two Days to Impact" etc. I took them QUITE seriously, as they were making it QUITE clear that meteors are deadly and that all of humanity was going to DIE HORRIBLY.

I remember going to a dinner-party on the night before the end was coming. I had no fucking clue why everyone was so relaxed--I was scared shitless that the end was coming, but never had the courage to actually talk to anyone about it. I couldn't eat, and I couldn't sleep.

I felt quite relieved when the end didn't come. Though I didn't know it at the time, that experience helped me to ignore overblown coverage of things, and sensationalism in the media. I still have a healthy respect for things like Global Warming or the "Doomsday Meteor," I'm not going to be taken in like a mindless drone.

Oh yeah, and I currently have a fear of lethal quantities of water, stemming from childhood. It's too difficult to explain why I have it--I'm not sure I understand it myself. I have no problem being in a boat with a life-preserver. Just don't rock the boat!!!

EDIT: Oh yeah, I also remember hearing on the radio as a child that the sun was going to go supernova in a few billions years. I knew what a billion was, but I still couldn't help but think that a billion years was MUCH closer than anyone thought.