The Hero and the Victim

I have been highly trained to respond calmly in high stress, life threatening situations.

From flying planes, to fighting fires, to scuba diving, inflight refueling, prisoner of war/hostage skills, wilderness survival, water survival, emergency medical interventions, incident command, communication, confined space, ice rescue, Hazmat, chemical attack, nuclear response. I was trained to willingly get into a plane knowing it would off load all of its fuel and crash near the North pole because nuclear war had begun and the world was ending. My country and community has expected me to set aside my fear of death and do what I need to do.

These skills are celebrated when used conventionally. When applied to human behavior, they are shunned. I am told I have no feelings, I must not care because I am not showing it in the moment. Society wanted me to respond to their emergencies, keep them safe and not show weakness while I do it. Now I am expected to show weakness when it is convenient for others. Now my bravery is used against me because others have not been trained the same way I have.

Do you want a hero or a victim? You want both and you want neither. You want whatever will make you feel better in the moment.