Got a few to spend while waiting for machinery repairs. Looks like I've been missing LOADS of stuff!
Chocmintz, it's not being across the pond that caused the issue. It's being like many who haven't had the experience of being in lethal situations ever, let alone often. Sometimes monthly, weekly or even daily depending on the environment. And there is nothing wrong with what you said. My brother ND, and I don't throw brother around lightly, has the extreme "pleasure" to be dealing with the emotional oscillations that come with knowing on any given day it may be his day because he voluntarily wades through the homogenized froth that slides over the rim of the human gene pool, complete with progenous slime trail.
When you survive a lethal situation, one where another human being is intent on ending your life, it creates an emotional trigger. PTSD has it's base in this physiological neuro-function. And then when that scenario is closely mimicked it creates the extreme emotional response of the original incident.
Now when you take that emotional trigger and have it's slack taken up, day in and day out, when you look into the eyes of the thug rolling by who wouldn't hesitate to leave you pumping out on the pavement if the risk was mitigated by his perceived gain of committing such an act; It keeps you in a constant state of hyper vigilence. It's irritating at the least, and can ruin relationships along with consuming your personality.
One thing for certain is that when you are in the throws of it, or have just taken your gun off but were unable to take the anxiety of it off too, it leaves you mentally blistered and raw.
I've had people make light of me in similar ways, though it was more of a personality attack. And it enraged me that they had no idea of or respect for the fear and pure anguish those experiences cause and what it takes to self counsel your way through them. Years later I realized that I was really enraged by the fact that I did know that fear and anguish, and that metallic taste in your mouth when that mortal terror takes you by the spine and wrings your gut out. I wished I had never felt it and longed for that blissful ignorance of having never "seen the elephant".
I think you just caught Dragon "in the moment". He's back, with class, and I can't wait to show him my marshmallow shooter.......BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
My Brother DEFCON dude you do have a way with words, and I love to read your post. Oh yea bring out the Marshmallow's and I will bring the fire.....from which ever end ya want and we will have a camp out......LOL
Night Dragon breathing smaller flames now.....thanks everyone!