The Lizard on the Ceiling and the Fear of English

So the other day, I noticed something again.
It’s not new, but I keep observing it.
My wife saw a lizard on the wall and just froze.

She didn’t scream or anything, but I could see it on her face — discomfort. A kind of fear.
And honestly, this happens with a lot of people I know — my sisters, friends, even a few grown men I’ve met.
A lizard comes into the room… and the energy changes.
People either stop talking, or they leave the room, or they keep looking at the ceiling like a sniper is up there.

And you know what’s funny?

That lizard isn’t even doing anything.
It’s just there — stuck on the wall, not even moving half the time.
It’s not poisonous. It’s not strong. It’s not even loud.
Most of the time, it won’t touch you. And I think scientifically, it’s not dangerous at all.

But still — people hate it.
It makes them uncomfortable.

---

Now here’s the connection I made — this is how a lot of people react to speaking English in public.

That fear.

That sudden silence.
That looking around nervously.
That “let me avoid this situation” behaviour.

Same energy.

---

The English language is not attacking you.
Nobody’s forcing you to speak like a native.
It’s not a gun to your head.
But still — when it comes near, you freeze.
You avoid eye contact. You stay quiet.
You leave the conversation.

Not because it’s deadly. But because it feels uncomfortable.

And I’m not judging anyone.
I completely respect people who have fear of lizards — I have my own fears too.
I’ve seen animals that I personally don’t want to go near.
We all have our things.

But this observation made me realise something — maybe we give too much power to something that’s not actually powerful.

---

The lizard is not stronger than you.
And public speaking in English is also not stronger than you.
Both just feel scary… until you sit with it for a bit.
Observe it.
Realise it’s just sitting there. Not attacking.

And slowly, you realise — you’re okay.

You can stay in the room.
You can speak the sentence.
You can deal with it.

Maybe not perfectly. But you don’t have to run from it either.