Humans have always had a fear of deep waters, associating it with primal fears. Even the thought of dipping toes in deep waters can cause vertigo.
Humans turned out to be a particularly dexterous terrestrial species capable of crawling, walking, running, climbing and jumping; but water hasn’t been our element for millions of years. What we did develop is an unparalleled capacity for imagining dangers in it. Our ancestors drew monsters and mythical creatures lurking in the uncharted blue in the corners of their navigational charts. Historically and emotionally, deep waters have always been associated with some of our most primal fears .
I have a vivid memory of a midsummer afternoon, years ago, navigating a small boat off the Ligurian coast, when a friend pointed out that we were over particularly deep waters. Never before had I paid attention to the way light disappeared into that dense, cobalt blue and, even though I had been on my high-school swim team, the mere thought of dipping my toes in conjured an almost overwhelming vertigo. Fast forward to Ibiza, June 2020, two years after I relocated to a farm in the island’s north with a renewed hunger for adventur
Humans Fear Deep Waters Primal Fears Vertigo