FEAR What is good for and when it is not.

[Dennis]

Hey, Scott, since you are into big cats I have another story you might find interesting/amusing. At the time this did involve a certain amount of "trepidation" for my well being.

About ten years ago I leased a small place on some wooded property about eight miles out in the country that had a nice sized bass pond at the edge of a fenced in back yard. About the second or third night there I took my little girl out back ...miniature Dachshund.... and she was sniffing around where the squirrels and birds had been during the day and I was looking up at the stars in one of the few openings of the trees. It was dark and quiet and I was just enjoying the peace and the stillness.

We had started to go back in and was about half way between the fence and back door when I heard a sound that made me think I was not in my back yard but in the Serengeti. I had heard many male African lions roaring on Nat Geo shows and knew instantly what that sound was. It sounded like right at my back fence. Jeezus almighty! How could this be?!! You can imagine all the thoughts racing through my mind in a matter of seconds. My neck hurt from snapping my head around so fast and I was peering into the darkness trying to make out any movement.

I looked down at my ten pound Dachshund who usually thinks she weighs a hundred and not a sound from her which was very unusual. She was rock still looking towards the fence. It was all quiet again and I could not make out any movement. Without ever saying anything I started easing backwards to the house hoping that my slow movement wouldn't trigger a charge. She had not moved so I thought I better reach down and pick her up.

At about the time I was bent over to pick her up the roaring started again and I was certain it was coming over the fence. Damn! Had no choice except to try and reach the back door ahead of it. Fastest I have ever moved and my little dog was waiting on me to open the door. I didn't feel any claws or fangs tearing into my back and made it inside and slammed the door and locked it. I put my ear to the door to see if I could hear anything. All I could hear was my own heavy breathing.

I then went to a window looking out on the back yard and listened. Nothing! I raised the window just a few inches and listened again. Then I heard the roaring again only now it seemed farther away. Then a whuh...whuh...whuh...several times. Hmm... I thought I would call the property owner and tell him about this. He kind of chuckled and said "that was just Gabriel" Oh yeah, WTH is that? African lion sure enough. He said on a clear night he can be heard for three miles. I just happened to move in next to a big cat rescue operation. Without knowing it.

The reason he sounded so close was he was just across the pond which amplifies sound and a still night and he was a large male. I would find later that it would really get noisy when him and the Tigers both were roaring.

 

[Scott7022]

Very cool story. Yes the male lion's voice can sure carry. I miss my Africa and falling asleep to those calls. They have a wildlife sanctuary in Langley BC. My home town and I always thought it would be cool to get a piece of property out there. But alas it is close to Vancouver so the stupid expensive number applies. Like 1.4 million USD stupid number. A mortgage is a synonym for slavery....

Thanks for the story Dennis.

 

[Dennis]

The sounds can grow on you. For the next five years I was lulled to sleep pretty regularly by them.
I hear you about the stupid money. Maybe you can wind up with a place near the sanctuary some day.

 

[SoulRaven]

Dennis, is that the animal rescue the two women run? I saw a story on the news not too long ago about them.

 

[Dennis]

Rob, sounds familiar but can't can't recall much about the two women. This one is on property owned by an attorney and his wife. They don't allow access to view the cats for photos or just to look at them. Donations are gladly accepted though. They go through a lot of raw meat....

 

[SoulRaven]

I was only a few states off, their rescue is in Florida. A mind (mine) is a terrible thing to waste.

 

[GotSmart]

Fear can make you do strange things.  When I was introduced to my second wife's father I was in for a shock.  She was17 when we met.  I was about 25 and divorced.  

He was cleaning his gun accumulation.  This is not a fabrication.  He is the quiet type, and just happened to resemble Andy Griffith.  Surrounded by a lot of guns.  A lot.  

When I walked in the door he was putting together a S&W model 19 357.  His duity weapon.   :s I thought I was dead. 

At a complete loss for words I did the only thing that came to mind.  I picked up the nearest rifle and dropped the bolt out of it.  I then looked down the barrel.  Shiny.

He looks at me with his mouth open..."How did you do that"?  He had never before seen that trick.  My father had the same model, and I would practice stripping it.  
I was accepted!  Then I met her mother...

 

[SoulRaven]

Fear? I guess it comes in all types, fear of death, fear of flying or some other phobia.

My oldest daughter will be 42 come October. I bought her a little Subaru when she was 16, this was before all Subaru's were 4X4. Hers wasn't, just a cheap reliable car.

I had just come into the states and home, called and we agreed to meet at my Mom's house, some 40 miles from where she lived with my other kids. And the ex.

I had just gotten to my Mothers house when a call came from the Harris Hospital Chaplin, my kids had been in a wreck, two were Care Flighted to the big hospital in Ft Worth and two were taken by ambulance to the smaller hospital near the crash site. The two Care Flighted were critical the other two serious but stable.

I had at the time a little yellow Pontiac Ventura with a 305 and it would carry the freight. I got to the big hospital and it was both of my girls, scratched, beat up and cut from broken glass, but alive. My ex went to the small hospital and the boys were hurt the worst, oldest had a broken hip and cuts all over and the youngest apparently saw the crash coming because he braced himself and got a broken 'growth plate in his wrist and looked like he went thru a meat grinder, but alive.

I don't remember being afraid when I got shot, more angry than anything, I just figured this is it.

But the fear I felt when I found out my kids were badly hurt is still palpable. The Subaru safety features all worked. Every one of them. The wrecker driver said he never saw a car that badly mangled and noone died. Made the picture of the local (small town) news, you can see it upside down with a Firefighter holding my oldest and trying to get her seat belt off, and my youngest daughter unconscious laying on the headliner, out like a light.

That's fear.

 

[rvpopeye]

Rob
That doesn't surprise me at all.
You get shot up in Nam and it just pisses you off.
(Our very own Rambo !)
And see your kids after a car crash and then you're afraid.
(As every dad would be.)

You're a good man and I'm proud to be your friend ........................

 

[SoulRaven]

After the dust settled and they were all going to be okay my brother went in to my oldests room and after talking to her for a minute or two asked her if she had a bruise on her stomach reading u-r-a-bus. Subaru spelled backwards. From her seat belt. At least she smiled.

 

[rvpopeye]

That must have made you feel a bit better !

 

[TrainChaser]

A friend of mine had a mother who was both Italian and opinionated (surprise!) When her husband or son brought home someone she didn't like, she would bring out her Big Knives and sharpen them. Most of them got the message.

 

[Ballenxj]

Fear? I guess it comes in all types, fear of death, fear of flying or some other phobia.

My oldest daughter will be 42 come October. I bought her a little Subaru when she was 16, this was before all Subaru's were 4X4. Hers wasn't, just a cheap reliable car.
<-------->
But the fear I felt when I found out my kids were badly hurt is still palpable. The Subaru safety features all worked. Every one of them. The wrecker driver said he never saw a car that badly mangled and noone died. Made the picture of the local (small town) news, you can see it upside down with a Firefighter holding my oldest and trying to get her seat belt off, and my youngest daughter unconscious laying on the headliner, out like a light.

That's fear.

Rob, that is the fear that I would fear the most. No pun intended.

 

[SoulRaven]

My oldest Daughters name is Heather, when she was 14 she started her campaign for a car. Had to be a convertible, fancy radio and sporty. Mustang preferably. She never faltered in what she wanted for two solid years. Finally when she turned 16 and had her newly minted drivers license we started looking for her car. We were walking around a dealer who sold newer cars and there was a nice V-6 Mustang like she wanted. Parked next to it was a plain, drab brown base model Subaru. A stick shift at that. AM radio and air conditioning were the only options on it. Fate? Kismet? Whatever it was she wanted this Subaru.

I mentioned that every safety feature on that car worked as designed. The wreck was her fault, a guy stopped short to make a left in front of her and the witness behind said her brake lights never came on. She did one end over end and three rolls. She had rear ended a full size Buick Riviera and put his rear bumper in his back seat. When the car was flipping or rolling the windshield shattered and her long hair got wrapped around the door pillar. The picture in the newspaper showed a Firefighter holding her body weight to cut the seat belt and her hair to get her loose.

After the insurance settled and she was ready to drive again we went shopping. Every single car we looked at I got a less than enthusiastic "OK" her version of whatever. After finding a Mustang exactly as she wanted she was still unenthusiastic. I asked her what the hell was wrong with it.

With tears in her eyes she told me "it's not a Subaru". We bought another Subaru.

 

[rvpopeye]

You're lucky.
Many kids can't even learn the hard way.
Yours sure did.

 

[SoulRaven]

Popeye, I was nothing like Rambo, when I got hit I was trying get my head and ass behind cover and couldn't find any. It was just a bad night at Black Rock. Actually Phu Loc 6 was the name of the place. I remember at first I couldn't catch my breadth and it burned. Not really hurting just a burning sensation. And warm liquid. I got a couple of shots of morphine (that is some good stuff) and then I remember checking to see if the important parts of my manhood were there. Shock sets in and life slows down.

I still had active fire missions going on and my radio operator was KIA so I just walked the arty into the other side. Doped up beyond belief but did manage to keep several fire missions going. Thank God for Corpsmen and Artillery men who bailed our ass out.

My best friend, who Cammalu will meet in a bit, was working the radios at the battery. Over the objection of the fire direction officer. Broke contact at daylight and the big bird came and got me.

One day just for shits and giggles I will post my obituary on here. I finally got it microfiche from the library. Story may be a bit disjointed, took my sleeping potions. Pretty much don't care right now.

Take care Popeye, you're a good man.

 

[Scott7022]

Great examples and sharing! We see how very important this unicorn and ice cream emotion love is. Look at the stories. During the contact Phu Loc 6, while shot, Gunny is concerned about protecting his brothers, who he obviously loves and his friend, who feels the same, went against the fire direction officer to call in an airlift. Past the fear and the pain we see the power of love, in a world of death, hate, and violence.

In the horrific car crash again we see a fathers love demonstrated. A man that has faced fears many of us cannot imagine, and dealt with situations most couldn't. Love for his children, in an environment he can't control or affect. Then, supporting his daughter as she takes the scary steps to buy and begin driving again.

What I am trying to point out, I hope I am being clear enough, and highlight is the actions are from a place of love and not fear. The actions are not fear programed responses, but cognitive thoughts from a position of love. I think we miss this often. We see the top emotions, fear, anger, and miss the big one. Love.

Same goes for the wounded service dogs and their partners. Do you think the dog is cuddling, hurt and afraid, and worrying about who will feed him next? No, it is love.

So many think a hero, or confidence,  is the opposite of fear. Hate the opposite of Love. I put forward that this is incorrect. The opposite of Love is Fear. I have been afraid in many circumstances, and when I started noticing these types of things, I realized I was afraid because I wasn't looking at the love that was still all around me. I couldn't see it. Fear had stoped my mind from functioning correctly. Fear had killed my mind.

Why do people come to this website/forum? To see Bobs famous videos? No! They are afraid, they may be crawling for cover behind a solar install, but they are looking for love for kindness; for a tribe.
Why do we share with some of these, sometimes difficult people? Why does Gunny introduce Cammalu to his good friend. Why does Cammalu spend time and energy making badges and traveling to meets? Why do I spend time writing stories and posting stuff like this? (It kind of has the opposite effect for my tough as nails, "you keep praying for peace and we'll keep stacking bodies till it works out" persona)  Because of love.
When a person is reacting in fear, anger, hatred it is easy to adopt the; 'if in doubt knock them out.'  Showing them the love is the difficult trick. Letting your fear flow over and past and then be a mirror for the other person to folllow while they want to hurt or, in the case of wolves and big cats, eat you. That is courage.

See the love in the world, recognize it, share it, and geeky Quantum Entanglement physicists say it will have a "Butterfly Effect".

Thanks to all for sharing. I don't mean to twist your words, so if you don't agree with my usage that is fine, I take no offense and I mean none. It is my perspective and you may or may not share it. But I do thank you for reading my perspective.

"Always be nice and polite until it is time not to. Then make the Canadian required apology worth it." RSM Stafford. Balkans 1991

 

[GotSmart]

"Always be nice and polite until it is time not to. Then make the Canadian required apology worth it." RSM Stafford. Balkans 1991

I agree 100% with the rest of your post.  That just might put you on probation with the YARC.     That is just so right ~~  

But that last line is priceless.   :idea:

 

[Scott7022]

I agree 100% with the rest of your post.  That just might put you on probation with the YARC.     That is just so right ~~  

But that last line is priceless.   :idea:

I am safe from probation status. Our natives have a story about the two wolves that live in us all. One is good and kind, and the other bad and dangerous. Which is stronger is the always the question. The old shaman said "The one you feed." Many of us have heard this tale I did when I was 13. I figured WTF, and I fed both. That ensured I'd  never be right. SO now it is all about distracting the bad wolf until he is needed, and consoling the good wolf after he witnesses the horrors of his brother's actions. 
Scott
Bard of the YARC Relalm. 
"I am not bi-polar, but my wolves are."

 

[SoulRaven]

"Always be nice and polite until it is time not to. Then make the Canadian required apology worth it." RSM Stafford. Balkans 1991

May be what General Mattis meant when he wrote;

‘Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.’

Off to get my trailer.