As a 27-year-old woman who still sleeps with her closet light on, I am no stranger to fear. Of course, some fears are more rational than others, and my fear of the dark admittedly falls into the irrational category. Is a giant green closet monster really going to be deterred by a lightbulb? Probably not. Is a thief really going to turn around after seeing a sliver of light peeking out from under my bedroom door? Doubtful. Yet without the light on, I can’t sleep. And so my room stays illuminated every hour of the night, and my fear of the dark remains.

Fear is a mysterious life companion, isn’t it? Some of us are more influenced by its persuasive charms than others. I am afraid more often than I’d like to admit. I’m most afraid of being unlovable. I’m terrified that if I ever get to the core of who I really am and I share that person with the world, she won’t be loved … or even liked. Through conversations with many other young adult women (and men, too), I know I’m not alone in this fear. I’m also afraid of tragedy and sickness and wrinkles. The list goes on and on and mine is embarrassingly long.

What are all the other human beings on planet earth most afraid of? I’m not so sure that can be boiled down to a perfect, one-size-fits-all answer. I’ve read many thoughts on the topic. Some say that at the core of it all, human beings are most afraid of death. Or we’re afraid of being alone. Or, perhaps, we‘re afraid of failing. All of these answers are probably partially true but not complete. I posted an informal survey online to get some feedback on the topic, and the lists of deepest fears were immensely broad and impossible to generalize. (Continued on next page.)