reverse fomo

Can there be a reverse FOMO (fear of missing out)? What would that look like? Fear of doing something you really wish you hadn't? (Makes for a very long acronym). Absolutely fine with missing out (AFWMO?) I'm thinking of this topic because of the recent solar eclipse. Perhaps you heard about it? Obviously, I'm kidding; there was talk of little else leading up to April 8th, whether  purchasing eclipse glasses, avoiding high-traffic areas, or monitoring the weather. Did you view the eclipse?

Full disclosure: I did not view the eclipse. There was thick cloud cover here, so I was off the hook anyway, but I didn't buy the glasses. I didn't make any plans. I fully understand that we're talking about a rare, beautiful natural phenomenon, it just didn't seem particularly important to me that I view it live. Dare I admit to AFWMO?
     Some friends and I were remembering the solar eclipse in the 1970s when we were in elementary school. Everyone was herded into the gym to watch a movie (a rarity during school, at that time), so we would not go outside and risk our vision. Surely, there must have been lots of education about the solar system and the eclipse and the science of it all, but all I remember is being in the gym and being terrified of accidentally looking at the sun and going blind. One friend remembers it was also hot dog day. Remember those days? Charging parents in order to feed their children nitrites and preservatives on a white-bread bun? Ah, the 70s.
     This time, in 2024, school was cancelled in most areas. I'm told this closure was due to liability; schools don't want the responsibility of students who might look at the eclipse unprotected during school hours. Which says a lot about society, parenting, education, and personal responsibility.
     The big development is the eclipse glasses. People who viewed the eclipse found it an incredible experience. They describe colourful beauty, and stillness (apparently all the birds stopped singing), and darkness, and sudden cold. No one seemed very worried about whether or not the glasses were authentic; truthfully, it seems to be quite rare to hear about blindness from viewing an eclipse. Maybe that's because people are educated not to look, but there have to be some rebels out there, or people who just don't pay attention. Maybe the whole risk, while present, is vastly overstated, and the highly successful public education is just to prevent a preventable malady.
     I should point out that the solar system fills me with awe, particularly the amazing mathematicians and astronomers who figured out exactly when and where solar eclipses would occur, without any technology whatsoever. I felt that there might be something off about me, to not really care that much about this much-hyped event. I fully respect those who travel the world observing eclipses, and those who felt it was a wonderful, maybe once-in-a-lifetime, experience.
     The night my grandfather died, we had the most incredible Northern Lights I've ever seen, right over my house in Northern Ontario. Green and flickering, it was like a personal light show just for us. The movement looked like ethereal people walking. Because it was connected to me in a personal way, because it felt like my grandfather (a very quiet man) was involved in this "last hurrah," the natural phenomenon felt extra special. There were no news stories, no special parties. The event was over twenty years ago now, and I remember that night sky perfectly. I've seen Northern Lights since then, but nothing that seemed quite so magical.
     It seems awe is individual, that we must feel connection, to inspire FOMO.