Collegiate Times

Closed shower curtains scare me. I used to think I was a bit melodramatic, always finding myself having to quickly peek behind the shower curtain in the middle of the night to convince myself nothing was there.

Although it may sound like I have seen “Psycho” one too many times (very good movie, highly recommended), I know this anxiety I feel — anxiety about safety — is a common thing to experience. Oftentimes, we may not even realize the anxiety we carry about our own safety.

This notion of safety came to my mind after my mother was telling me about her recent trip to Yogaville. First of all, it is a real place — it is actually an ashram, an hour outside Charlottesville — and it’s here in Virginia. My mother was telling me about the trust everyone had for each other there.

For example, she told me none of the doors to the main dormitory buildings have locks on them, nor do the doors to the actual rooms. People left their valuables in plain sight and fell asleep with their doors open. People would, individually, take mile-long walks through the woods in areas with no cell phone service.

A shudder went up my spine. Why did this make me so uncomfortable? Do communities with such a sense of trust like that really exist? Would I, personally, ever be able to grow accustomed to that?

This takes me back to a story my grandfather once told me. Back in the old days, when there was no air conditioning, he told me that he and his brothers/sisters would just sleep outside. I recall relinquishing a giggle at the notion of sleeping outside (I was young and giggles were appropriate for my age). 

However, when thinking about it now, I ask myself: Why don’t I sleep outside when my dorm room is unbearably hot? Aside from my medical/veterinary entomology professor’s warning against accidental Myiasis, my main reason for not sleeping outside, is safety.

It would appear then, as time goes by, civilization seems to become more and more unsafe. Lululemon, a chain of peaceful stores that sells things for a peaceful practice (I swear I am not receiving commission for this), was recently the site of a wicked murder, which only strengthens this point.

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A version of this article appeared in the Mar 23 issue of the Collegiate Times.