Why does lightning affect us do much?

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Not everyone gets scared or freaked out when they see the shards of lightning, the sudden flashes followed by growls of roaring thunder. However, many people are affected whilst they're young and carry the fear throughout their adult life. I am laying in bed and it's really bad outside, I cannot help feel a slight uneasiness. The thunder doesn't bother me, just the flashes. When I was younger and I'd get upset, my dad used to tell me that the angels in the sky are playing football (soccer)...and with this going on outside it's prompted me to see what you guys think about our perceptions of thunder and lightning, how we created and moulded our conceptions and why we feel the way we do, despite this weather not being of high risk to many of us. - The chances of being hit by lightning are slim. Thunder is merely a loud noise which is unlikely to cause us much bother. With the level of risk in mind, why do some people feel so threatened and endangered by it? - The fear of thunder and lightning is understandable in children; they are easily frightened and are not mature enough to make a well-informed, risk assessment - we probably all looked to a close adult to reassure us of our safety. As we grow older we are more aware of the risks of thunder and lightning and can measure this risk through statistics, internet articles, popular science and news stories. Despite this, some adults remain terrified well into their old age. Are our perceptions set in stone when we are young? Are our feelings as children difficult to adjust, after all our childhood is an intense period of adjustment and learning in human life? Are some people more susceptible to fear of the weather? - Is thunder and lightning and the adult fear of an uncontrollable and unpredictable weather spell, fear of the unknown almost, the reason for many people's uneasiness? Or could it be that people just don't like loud and unfamiliar events striking their senses in ways they're not used to? Is it in that case not fear as such, but discomfort and the resistance to such discomfort? What do you think? -