by John Boch
My [now ex-]wife, God bless her, [had] her alarm clock set to the local PBS station, so I [got] treated to Nazi Party Radio drivel about as often as I hear classical music first thing in the morning.
On one particular morning, an Iraqi war veteran was lamenting his anxiety at being unarmed, helpless and defenseless as if he was an alcoholic or drug addict talking about a disease.
He shared that he had bought a combat-style shotgun following his honorable discharge after a couple of tours in Iraq, and an AR-15 rifle similar to the one he carried along with a Beretta 92 pistol.
He said he shared his anxious feelings with some fellow veterans who were now fellow students, explaining how he now carries his guns close-by on a daily basis. He explained how he was anxious anytime he was defenseless and helpless without any of the tools he had relied upon to protect himself in time of war. To his surprise, they “confessed” they felt the same way.
Among sheepdogs – people who can protect themselves and fellow innocents (sometimes called the sheep, depending on their mentality) from predators in society – anxiety about helplessness is not a mental disorder.
Sheepdogs like this Iraqi war vet understand that violence is sometimes necessary to protect innocent life from the wolves of society.
The sheep don’t particularly like sheepdogs (as evidenced by the failure of Illinois’ right-to-carry bill) and they certainly eschew violence. They instead prefer to go about their merry way in life, oblivious to the potential for danger everyday. That’s what sheep do, after all. They graze!
Sheep often ignore or deny criminal violence in society, possibly as a “denial” coping mechanism.
Other sheep know they are lovers, not fighters. They recoil at the thought of violence, defensive or otherwise.
Our returning warriors should never be made to feel defective because of their learned sheepdog instincts.
To our war veterans:
First, thank you for your service and your sacrifice. Feeling anxiety at being unarmed and helpless is not a mental illness. It’s a perfectly normal and healthy reaction among those who understand that violence, under exigent circumstances, is sometimes the best way to defend and protect innocent life from violent attack!
If anything should be a “mental disorder”, it should be the irrational fear of certain tools and objects found in the world, be they knives, airplanes, snakes, spiders — or guns.
