>>I refuse to be in large crowds.
I am pretty averse to large crowds as well - not because I have a fear of them, just intellectually understand how quickly things can go badly in almost any situation, and when you are packed in like sardines it makes an evasive or survival moves pretty hard to do.
I am am not just talking about terror attacks, but also fires, sudden riots etc - having watched people get trampled to death in panic situations really makes you think twice about needlessly putting yourself in those situations - besides, I rather be out in the middle of the forest by myself or with my dog on just about any given day.
“besides, I rather be out in the middle of the forest by myself or with my dog on just about any given day.”
Yep. I experience no joy surrounded by people I don’t know. I live on six acres in the middle of deep woods. No dog, but I am generally being followed by two cats. And, like you, I don’t fear crowds. I just know what they are in panic mode and that mode is just below the surface.
There have been several mass-casualty trampling events just in pedestrian concourses on the way to Mecca. Anyplace thousands of people are hemmed in can become a death trap.
The White Snake concert in 2003 was a horror show. 100 burned alive because the fleeing mob piled up in the exits due to panic.