h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Most people have, thankfully, never known fear.

Some have been frightened. True. Near misses on a freeway, the feeling on a roller coaster. Fright, but not fear.

Some have been scared. True. A stranger's footsteps behind you on a dark street, the door that rattles in the middle of the night. A scare, but not fear.

True fear makes you a child. Wishing to cover your eyes, find a safe place to hide, call out for Mom, or Daddy, or God. True. Fear makes babies of even the strongest.

Most of us will, naturally, flee from fear. True. Instinct kicks in, adrenaline pumps, fight, flight or freeze. Most will not choose to fight. Survival overrides the need to be macho.

Facing fear is unnatural. True. From an early age we cover our eyes, pull the bedsheets over our heads, hide behind the sofa, the brave risk a peep through trembling fingers, fear of the unknown as dreadful as the fear we witness.

Fear turns stomachs to ice-water. True. Panic a natural instinct, run, flee, escape, do not look! That sickening, stomach churning vertigo that most will thankfully never suffer. Shaking bodies, jangling nerves, the urge to vomit has a name. Fear.

Most will avoid situations that cause fear. True. Cross the street to avoid the drunken gang, get off the subway to escape the stranger's glare, back away when confronted by threat. Fear is an aide to survival. Vital if you want to see tomorrow, today, the next hour or minutes.

Some feel fear. True. The rare few feel the same gut-wrenching fear but cannot run or hide. They pray that training and experience will make the shakes stop, breathe away the sickness, icy sweat forms rivulets of fear but can be ignored, for the right reasons, a just cause.

Most say they would sacrifice themselves for family or loved ones. True. Fear awaits, a test most pray they will never have to pass, even for family. The fear of failing that test a dreadful prospect.

Some, a very few, have a choice. True. Do nothing, give in to fear, run, hide, survive. These, for a few, are not options.

Putting one's life on the line, one's future, your family's happiness, defeating that all-consuming fear, to help another, protect a stranger, save someone unknown, no matter what fear is faced, is alien to most.

Some have a choice. True. Some choose to run towards danger, put themselves in harm's way, still feeling that horrible, terrible fear, but choosing to control it.

Some, a rare few, but a few too many, pay the ultimate price.True.

For all those who face down fear every time they go to work, thank you.

For those who have given their lives to keep others safe, we are forever grateful, may your eternity be free of fear and full of Grace.

RIP Constable Andrew Harper.

http://policehour.co.uk/2019/08/rip-police-constable-andrew-harper/

Such a needless loss mate. Poor family lost him because of some scum bag thieves, terrible news.

The letter his wife published was truly heartbreaking if you can get it over there. There but for the Grace...

That is heartbreaking.

And yet some people still serve, regardless of the threats SF!

And I am grateful!

Such a needless tragedy, my heart goes out to those he's left behind

People probably don't think about such things, but every so often you read about a volunteer fireman who dies trying to extinguish a fire. There are chances for all of us to help our communities and our neighborhoods, and the risks are not apparent when we start.

When some people go to work mate, it becomes normalised, part of the job. Sad but true.

Yes, very true.

I've always been opposed to our police being armed, but sadly I think the times they are a changing over here.

It'll take a special breed of person to join up in the present climate, poor morale, bad pay and conditions and now the fear of violence at every incident.

Something has to change!

plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

Every time we yanks have a horrific mass slaughter, we assume that *finally* our more conservative lawmakers will be moved to allow more restrictions on firearms. Then the hope fades as other things push the carnage from our memories -- until the next horrific mass slaughter.

Dreadful things people do to people.

You and I are descended from either the winners or the uninvolved.

I would rather not know for sure whether my ancestors who captained trading ships out of Nova Scotia were involved in the slave trade. Granted, it seems unlikely that this happened, basedo n this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Nova_Scotians

However, it was many generations back. Many British loyalists left the U.S. after the Revolution. Who is to say that some of them didn't marry into my ancestors' blood lines? What if any of these former Americans had ancestors who worked on slave ships?

This does not keep me up at night, but there's always a chance of new research about it coming to light.

I had meant to say that Nov Scotia was a key destination for British loyalists. Britain abolished slavery around 1807. It would have been better had they not thought up the idea in the 17th century and encouraged the American colonists to use it

As interesting as history is, in the nicest possible way, I would prefer this journal entry doesn't topic drift my friend.

I was neither a winner or uninvolved.why it's so heartbreaking to me.

Thanks.

Topic drift?