WBW is one of my favorite authors. I'm not sure when this was published but feels earlier in its subject, tone, and composition. I'd encourage everyone to check out waitbutwhy.com for his articles on Elon Musk, The Story of Us, and Relationships as they're really more like small books that are incredibly well written and insightful.
In reading this, I realized I'm not terrified of bugs whatsoever but really strongly dislike the annoying ones.
You're right, this is an older one. And yes Tim Urban is an excellent author, in fact he's the #2 ranked writer of all time on our new writer leaderboards! You can view all the WBW articles that have appeared so far on his writer page. The Story of Us was really great and I'm happy to see it won AOTD. Still so many that I haven't read yet that I need to catch up on!
Laugh out loud funny. Loved this but it did give me the creeps. I find it really difficult to kill bugs, except flies and mosquitoes. Just the other day, a big black beetle, over an inch long, came down the wall in my bathroom. It was terrifying but I wanted to catch and release him outside. I wish someone could have caught me on video, because I was a hot shit mess. Each time I placed my scrunched up wad of toilet paper over him, he would escape and I’d scream. His total scrambling and disorientation made my heart ache, so I persevered until I had him, opened the window and tossed him on top of a bush. I do realize that it could mean he’ll return inside, yet again. Maybe he learned his lesson.
Pegeen, your account with the beetle made me laugh as much as this article. I’m usually live and let live but not when a bug enters my domain. I do try to kill them as quickly and mercifully as possible—e.g. with a quick squish instead of letting them drown in the toilet. I’ve learned to be really quick with stink bugs. I’m glad he included spiders even though they’re not technically bugs because they are the most horrifying. I wish I didn’t learn the ratio of bugs to humans.
I found this super helpful in my own understanding of my repulsive feelings about snakes, I remember the experience of having a snake that I found in the grass in the local cemetery shit on my hand and the smell was atrocious and left me with a fear of this ever happening again. Speaking of shit I have memory of someone telling me that we would be knee deep in shit if it wasn’t for all the shit that bugs eat. This may be an urban legend but I really love saying SHIT.
The trauma still lurks deep inside me only to return at the least opportune times like when I step off the path to relieve myself and WHAM there it is the fastest thing on no feet making a b-line for me and I’m in real need need relief and satisfaction but there I am looking silly hopping on one foot suppressing my urge to scream and urinate in my drawers at the same time. Quite a sentence but when it happens this is the anxiety that I feel. Thanks for your support and I hope you’re not a snake person.
If bugs just followed the rules like everyone else, they really wouldn’t be a big deal. It’s their egregious disregard for boundaries that makes them so despicable.
WBW is one of my favorite authors. I'm not sure when this was published but feels earlier in its subject, tone, and composition. I'd encourage everyone to check out waitbutwhy.com for his articles on Elon Musk, The Story of Us, and Relationships as they're really more like small books that are incredibly well written and insightful. In reading this, I realized I'm not terrified of bugs whatsoever but really strongly dislike the annoying ones.
You're right, this is an older one. And yes Tim Urban is an excellent author, in fact he's the #2 ranked writer of all time on our new writer leaderboards! You can view all the WBW articles that have appeared so far on his writer page. The Story of Us was really great and I'm happy to see it won AOTD. Still so many that I haven't read yet that I need to catch up on!
Laugh out loud funny. Loved this but it did give me the creeps. I find it really difficult to kill bugs, except flies and mosquitoes. Just the other day, a big black beetle, over an inch long, came down the wall in my bathroom. It was terrifying but I wanted to catch and release him outside. I wish someone could have caught me on video, because I was a hot shit mess. Each time I placed my scrunched up wad of toilet paper over him, he would escape and I’d scream. His total scrambling and disorientation made my heart ache, so I persevered until I had him, opened the window and tossed him on top of a bush. I do realize that it could mean he’ll return inside, yet again. Maybe he learned his lesson.
Pegeen, your account with the beetle made me laugh as much as this article. I’m usually live and let live but not when a bug enters my domain. I do try to kill them as quickly and mercifully as possible—e.g. with a quick squish instead of letting them drown in the toilet. I’ve learned to be really quick with stink bugs. I’m glad he included spiders even though they’re not technically bugs because they are the most horrifying. I wish I didn’t learn the ratio of bugs to humans.
Bugs. Yuck.
Hilarious and educational!
I found this super helpful in my own understanding of my repulsive feelings about snakes, I remember the experience of having a snake that I found in the grass in the local cemetery shit on my hand and the smell was atrocious and left me with a fear of this ever happening again. Speaking of shit I have memory of someone telling me that we would be knee deep in shit if it wasn’t for all the shit that bugs eat. This may be an urban legend but I really love saying SHIT.
That sounds at least as traumatic as the 1991 centipede in the water bottle incident!
The trauma still lurks deep inside me only to return at the least opportune times like when I step off the path to relieve myself and WHAM there it is the fastest thing on no feet making a b-line for me and I’m in real need need relief and satisfaction but there I am looking silly hopping on one foot suppressing my urge to scream and urinate in my drawers at the same time. Quite a sentence but when it happens this is the anxiety that I feel. Thanks for your support and I hope you’re not a snake person.
Bugs do ruin everything. Top notch analysis! I hope we can find a way to eradicate mosquitoes sooner rather than later.