this post was submitted on 27 Jun 2023
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I hope you don't feel triggered by my question, I am genuinely curious, I swear. No judgment. Here my question: since bugs are part of this planet's life like all other life forms, don't you think that there is something wrong being so triggered from bugs?
I mean, it's normal to respect or to feel a kind of repulsion to some kind of insects, it is natural instinct that saved us from death, but being grossed by bugs in general sounds a bit too much to me.
I had a kind of phobia but when I realized that we are all part of the life on this planet, insects included, than something changed in me. I do not love insects, but I definitely do not feel reputation or fear anymore. I feel respect for some kind of insects (big spyders for example) and I try to build biodiversity in my garden for some others.
Sorry, I don't want to bother you or judge you, is it totally ok the way you are. I just kind of saw myself some years ago in our emotional answer.
Of course you can ignore this comment and it will be perfectly fine :)
Fair question and don’t worry it doesn‘t bother me. I guess it‘s wrong, not like I‘m proud of my phobia or something, but I just don‘t want them near me and I definitely do not want to eat them. I also don‘t want to exterminate them or anything though, I recognise bugs are important to the ecosystem (more important than many animals people hold as pets or even humans tbh who damage it), but that doesn‘t mean I like them or want them near me. Maybe with a bit of exposure therapy I could be less triggered by them too, but just mentally thinking of their importance doesn‘t really change that for me.
If I had a garden maybe then my perspective would actually change now that I think of it, I still wouldn‘t want them in my room at all and still use bug nets, but having them live in the garden and be more often exposed to them that way, a sort of safe co-existence, I think I would grow tougher. It‘s just unlikely to ever happen as I‘m a poor renting city dweller who doesn‘t have ambition to grind for a mortgage.
I‘m also all for the biodiversity though in the cities, due to bugs I stay out of these areas (last time I walked in tall grass I had two ticks and they are dangerous here and I was lax on vaccinations luckily nothing happened), but I like that they can live in those spaces more due to environmentalist efforts.