My daughter was sent home from school the opposite day with a letter from her teacher stating she had not been doing her homework and could I look into the matter. When confronted, my daughter claimed she was laid low with Bibliophobia, or a worry of books. I guess it's a higher excuse than "My dog ate my homework".
After I was young, I used to be well known for my ability to stare anyone down without laughing first. My daughter seems to possess inherited this distinctive ability as well. I can't even say Bibliophobia with a straight face; a lot of less use it as an excuse for why I did not do my homework... or my taxes properly.
My daughter said that after all this was a very real and terribly serious condition; she had even seen a video about it on YouTube. Note to self: Investigate what this "YouTube" is that everyone keeps talking about.
Anyway, as Dr. Phil would presumably advise, I demanded that she look her concern in the face and tackle it head on. I wasn't therefore sure this was visiting fly with her once our little "I am afraid of thunder and I want to sleep in the bed with you - no, go confront your fears - lightning strike mishap", however I gave it an effort anyway and demanded she do a "book report" on Bibliophobia...quite ironic, huh?
I told her she had to do the analysis the method I had to as a kid. No Web, no Google, no Wikipedia. Nope, I broke out the previous Encyclopedia Britannica stored away in our dusty attic and created her confront her fear. "No Web", she cried in horror. "This is often kid abuse, I'm texting the authorities!"
Note to self: Google what this "Texting" is I keep hearing about.
I must admit that I was quite shocked with what she came up when Social Services had left and he or she got right down to writing her report. She definitely created me assume concerning Bibliophobia more than I assumed was possible, or a lot of accurately, the definition of Bibliophobia.
Within the dictionary, Bibliophobia is defined as a concern of books. My daughter thought a better definition would be: a fear of what books might do. When I heard her explanation as to why, I told her Mr. Webster himself would probably agree it was a additional accurate definition. She told me her teacher's name was Mr. Thorne, not Mr. Webster...once more with the straight face.
I let the comment slide for the moment and centered on her report. She began by quoting George Orwell from his book 1984..."He who controls the past controls the longer term; he who controls the current controls the past."
She went on to explain how nearly each conquering army and regime throughout recorded time had destroyed libraries filled with history and culture with zealous efficiency. They were indeed..."fearful of books" that contained the history of these conquered civilizations.
In 1562, a Franciscan Friar ordered Spanish troops in Mexico to burn thousands of Mayan hieroglyphic books and effectively erased in sooner or later nearly the complete record of a civilization in order to pave the means for Christianity.
In 1914, the German army, after invading the Belgian town of Louvain, burned the cities magnificent library of a lot of than 300,000 volumes and a lot of than one,000 irreplaceable enlightened manuscripts to the ground in no act of military significance at all.
In 1975, Cambodia leader Pol Pot ordered the destruction of nearly all of Cambodia's manuscripts and monuments. The Khmer Rouge regime went therefore so much as to examine ordinary citizens for tell tale marks left on their nose from reading glasses, a crime punishable by death.
And most recently, the Taliban drained and erased nearly every written trace of non-fundamentalist Afghan culture.
I could tell that this tiny exercise of mine had a profound impact on my daughter. She even asked if she might keep the encyclopedias in her room; she said they had a comforting smell. I told her that was mildew, however that I understood how she was feeling..what was new to her was nostalgic for me, Ahh, the never ending irony of my life.
I apologize for my light-weight approach to this article subject matter, but it's necessary for me to search out humor in life. Phobias are a form of Anxiety Disorder of which I'm intimately acquainted, and it certainly takes more than simply "facing your fears" to overcome them.
Forcing myself into an elevator or to climb onto the roof of my home has solely succeeded in irritating the guy's down at the Firehouse... looks cat's get better treatment than humans when stuck in high places!
Anyway, if you'd like to check out the YouTube video I referenced or read a whole list of Phobias, of which there are lots, you can attend my website. And yes, as technically challenged as I am, I do have a website...because of my lazy, Bibliophobic daughter.
Author Resource:-
Doris Hill has been writing articles online for nearly 2 years now. Not only does this author specialize in Reference Encyclopedia Dictionary, you can also check out his latest website about:
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.healthandwealth4you.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
