FEAR PLAY

It's difficult to get away from motorcycles. They glow brightly on the screens that irradiate one's life with their pixel-fuelled glares. They form soft-board squadrons, always ready to escape into office-space daydreams. At home, they tempt you from dust jackets and posters, convincing you that they are indeed the most worthwhile way to spend time. When you're not actually on a motorcycle, of course. They are always on your mind. Know what else is always on your mind? Fear.

- KARTIK WARE

Thanks to the miracle of language, words conjure up images in the mind. And I swear, even reading the word 'fear' sends a momentary unease through my eyes and into my brain. But where does this fear come from? No one is born with fear, are they? At least I don't think so. As children, we learnt of fear through experience — or, more correctly, through experience disguised as failure. Survival instincts, those bloody things that keep us from doing great things in life, are rooted in fear. And, of course, parents shouting threats like 'slow down' and 'don't fall' in your direction didn't help too much, either.