Personal Narrative-The Deathly Afraid Of Bees

I have always been deathly afraid of bees. Just like the popular fears of spiders or heights, any flying stinging insect used to make me run for dear life. When I was about eight or nine, I mustered up enough courage to trap a bubble bee that lived in my front yard in my one of brother’s bug containers, a large clear plastic container with a magnifying glass as a lid. After observing the bee up close and learning more about bees’ role in pollination in school, I felt bad for the black and yellow striped fuzzy guy with tiny little wings. Its stinger was not a weapon nor was it trying to hurt me, the bee was just trying to do its job. I realized then and there that knowing more about a certain thing or subject can change my opinion and perspective

entirely.

Since the beginning of high school, I have developed a passion for learning new things. Whether it be the lymphatic system in Anatomy, classical conditioning in Psychology, the tax multiplier in Macroeconomics, or Louis XIV in European History; I feel as if learning more about myself as a human, everyday society, and the past makes me more prepared to make everyday decisions.

Although I really do like almost every subject, my favorite has always been science, especially Biology and Anatomy.

Learning about how the inner workings of our bodies function has always fascinated me ever since I could watch Grey’s Anatomy with my mom. It’s humbling thinking about how each and every human is only a collection of billions of microscopic cells that on their own would struggle to survive; but because cells work together and adapt to the environment, humans are able to move, think, and communicate sophisticatedly. I fractured my foot a few years ago during a basketball game. During the recovery process, I was starving and exhausted all the time. I mentioned it to our team's doctor and he explained that I was tired and hungry because my body was using more energy to heal my broken foot. Even though I could barely walk with crutches and a boot, he compared the energy consumption of the healing process to running two miles a day. It is amazing that the human body, a collection of billions of cells, can interpret and recognize messages from cells in the foot saying, “hey, something isn't right down here” and the rest of the body, from the specialized bone cells to the digestive system, reacts to help heal the body. It made me realize just how

interconnected

One of my favorite things to learn about is possible answers to those pesky ‘why’ questions.
Why are proteins shapes important? Diseases caused by one misshapen protein like Cystic Fibrosis are often incurable. One misshapen protein in one kind of cell affects almost every organ system. Why was the protein mutated in the first place? Answers to why questions are not always definitive. Sure, scientists and researchers can make an educated guesses, and their guess may even be the precise answer, but unless they have a time machine or can read minds, we may never know the exact correct answer.

Today, I am still afraid of bees. Unfortunately, no amount of learning or observation can change that, but what I have learned is to appreciate bees and what they do for our environment. Being knowledgeable and informed makes me feel more prepared (even for the occasional bee swarm). I am passionate about learning new things-- especially things that begin to answer the why questions. Although I am unsure of my future career path, I want to help answer those why questions whose correct solutions would improve millions upon millions of lives.