Do you have paraskevidekatriaphobia? – Denison Forum

Welcome to the first Friday the 13th this year. (You can look forward to another one in July.) If you’re afraid of today, you might have “paraskevidekatriaphobia” (from the Greek words for “Friday” and “thirteen”).

If so, you’re not alone.

The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute estimates that seventeen to twenty-one million people in the US are afraid of this day. Some avoid doing business, taking flights, or even getting out of bed. As much as $900 million is lost in productivity as a result.

Here’s the good news: studies seem to indicate that fewer calamities occur on this day, perhaps because people are more careful or choose to stay home.

“Unease and fears of misfortune”

I can see why people would feel afraid today.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron says he has “proof” that the Syrian government used chemical weapons to attack the town of Douma last weekend. According to today’s BBC News, Russia is warning the US that retaliatory air strikes in Syria could spark a war between the two countries.

Today’s Wall Street Journal reports that the White House plans to escalate trade pressure against China. In response, the Chinese are aligning countries against the US, especially in Europe.

Meanwhile, according to a survey released yesterday for Holocaust Remembrance Day, 70 percent of Americans say fewer people seem to care about the Holocaust than in the past. Fifty-eight percent believe something like the Holocaust could happen again. That’s cause for grave concern.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 19.1 percent of US adults had an anxiety disorder in the past year. That equates to twenty-four million people. Many of these disorders relate to fears about the future.

As you begin what National Geographic calls “the dreaded day [that] continues to inspire unease and fears of misfortune,” let’s consider a biblical response to fear of the future. The answer may surprise you.

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