I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I

Host: The living room was quiet, the soft sound of a clock ticking in the background. Outside, the world had gone dark, the night settling in with a quiet heaviness. Inside, the atmosphere was different — not tense, but contemplative. Jack sat by the window, his gaze focused on the city lights below, but his mind clearly somewhere else. Jeeny sat across from him, a book in her lap, her thoughts drifting along with his, sensing that something deeper was unfolding in the space between them.

Jeeny: (breaking the silence, her voice soft and reflective) “You know, Emil Ferris once said, ‘I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear... But there is a chance that something... will talk to me from the dark, so I have... to be prepared for that communication, which has happened.’”

(She paused, her voice calm as she looked at Jack.) “What do you think she meant by that? About fear and the possibility of communication in the dark?”

Jack: (pausing, his voice thoughtful as he considered the words) “I think she’s talking about the unknown — how fear often comes from being in the dark, both literally and metaphorically. But even within that fear, there’s the possibility of something valuable coming from it. When we confront fear, when we sit with it, we might discover something new, something that challenges us, or even speaks to us in ways we didn’t expect.”

Jeeny: (nodding slowly, her voice steady) “Exactly. The darkness isn’t just something to be afraid of. It’s a place where we can confront our own limitations, our own uncertainties. And in doing so, there’s the potential for growth or a deeper understanding. When we embrace the unknown, we open ourselves up to insights that we might not have found if we stayed in the light, avoiding the dark.”

Jack: (smiling faintly, his voice reflective) “It’s a powerful thought, isn’t it? The idea that we don’t just avoid fear, but move around inside it. We work with it, we learn from it, and sometimes, in the process, we encounter something we wouldn’t have otherwise seen. Something unexpected, but meaningful.”

Jeeny: (gently, her voice full of understanding) “Yes, it’s about being open to the possibilities that come from discomfort, from fear, from the things we can’t control. It’s about allowing ourselves to be in the dark long enough to find something valuable there, something that speaks to us.”

Jack: (nodding thoughtfully, his voice soft) “And maybe that’s the key. Not to run from the dark, but to explore it. There’s something inherently human about being afraid of the unknown, but there’s also something incredibly transformative about facing that fear and seeing what we find on the other side.”

Jeeny: (smiling softly, her voice gentle) “Exactly. It’s like fear becomes a doorway to understanding, not a wall to stop us. When we allow ourselves to be present with our fear, we make room for insight and communication that we might otherwise miss.”

Host: The room felt quieter now, the weight of Ferris’ words lingering between them like a quiet invitation. Fear, while often seen as something to avoid, was also something to embrace — not for its own sake, but for the potential that it held. The possibility that even in the darkest of places, there was the chance for growth, for insight, for communication that could guide us through the unknown.

Jack: (softly, almost to himself) “Maybe that’s what makes the dark so powerful — not that it’s something to be afraid of, but that it’s a space where we can truly listen, truly learn.”

Jeeny: (nodding, her voice full of quiet strength) “Yes. The dark is where we find what we don’t expect. It’s where we hear the things we didn’t think we were ready to hear.”

Host: The night outside had fully settled in, but inside, there was peace in the understanding that fear, when faced with courage and openness, could be a source of growth and learning. Jack and Jeeny shared a quiet look, knowing that the dark, while intimidating, was also a place full of potential — a place where, if we were willing to sit with our fear, we could find something truly meaningful.

And in that realization, there was both comfort and strength — the comfort of knowing that the unknown, while uncertain, was also a place where new insights could be found, and the strength to embrace it when the time came.