When I was little, I feared there were monsters under my bed and in my closet at night. I imagined they were hideous creatures who wanted to scare or do harm to me as I slumbered peacefully at night.

Where this notion came from, I am not exactly sure. It might have stemmed from my parents joking how the Bogeyman would visit me if I didn’t behave, my brother watching scary movies like The Wolf Man and Dracula around me, or my Christian roots and learning about Satan (also called the Devil).

In any case, my fear of monsters continued for quite some time before I un-masked the real monsters in the world.

Scary Movies from Hollywood

When I was a pre-teen, my sister took me to see Scream 2 with her friends. I didn’t want to go, but my sister was my babysitter for the night, so I had no choice. I remember being horrified in the first five minutes of the movie. Two characters, Maureen Evans and Phil Stevens ( played by Jada Pinkett and Omar Epps) were stabbed to death by a person donning a Ghostface mask, and I desperately wanted to leave the movie theater but was frozen in my seat. Somehow I soldiered through the movie, but for a week, I kept my back to a corner. I was adamant that I was not going to be surprised by someone wearing a black hooded cloak and white Ghostface mask.

My fear of the monsters from the silver screen would continue until adulthood. I am not sure what was the decisive moment when I learned the difference between myth and reality, but I did. I soon realized the monsters from Hollywood did not exist, and it was quite silly to be afraid of them. The real monsters in life were the problem. They were harder to detect and capable of committing unimaginable acts of evil.

The Real Monsters

Asked to describe a monster, you may say it is an imaginary creature that is large, ugly, and frightening. If you discovered a monstrosity like that, a reasonable person would immediately sense danger and probably try to flee.

The problem with that description is it does not signify the real monsters in this world. In truth, the real monsters look like you and I. They are humans. Most of the time, we will not suspect they will harm us and may even be friendly towards them. I promise they won’t show you their fangs, flash their red eyes, or reveal their ill intentions either until it is too late, unlike a monster written in a Hollywood script or novel.

In life, evil people come in many forms and from all backgrounds. Don’t let fear engross you, trust your instincts, and don’t underestimate other people’s intentions.

Have you encountered a real monster in your life? Let us know in the comments. 

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