Who's afraid of the Menger sponge?

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The discussion centers on the unsettling feelings evoked by the Menger sponge, contrasting it with the beauty of Cantor dust. The author expresses a visceral discomfort associated with the sponge, using terms like dread, dystopia, and claustrophobia to describe their reaction. They ponder whether deeper iterations of the sponge might alter this feeling, noting that the fourth iteration is particularly disturbing. The thread invites others to share if they experience similar discomfort when viewing the Menger sponge. Overall, it explores the emotional responses to mathematical constructs, particularly those that evoke anxiety.
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This is a frivolous thread about the Menger sponge. Actually it's totally serious, but with respect to mathematics, my concern in this thread is frivolous. If you're not into frivolous riffs on the 'human side' of math, you've been warned (i.e. no need to play Math Cop on me).

So: I recently realized that images of the Menger sponge make me uneasy. It's an odd feeling, very visceral. I don't understand it at all. I think images of the Cantor dust are, if anything, beautiful. But the sponge... yech. The sponge creeps me out. Brief free association on the sponge: dread, dystopia, madness, imprisonment, cheese (of course), madness, anxiety, nightmare, Edward Munch, LSD... you get the picture.

Most of these words connote claustrophobia and closeness. Of course, 'eventually' the Menger Sponge tends toward zero volume. Not a very claustrophobic sponge at that point I presume. i wonder how I would feel looking at a deeper iteration of it rather than the 4th iteration, which is the one that most creeps me out.

Anyway: am I alone in this? Has anyone ever looked at the Menger Sponge and felt like taking a shower or going for a run to shake the feeling?
 
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i looked at the 5th iteration...it didn't help...
 

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