Rebecca Mildren's Blog - Posts Tagged "war"
Wimpy booms
When I picked the kids up from daycare yesterday, they were all excited and asked when they would get to see fireworks. And then, since my eldest asked what the holiday was about, I told him. Most of it was new to him, except that he knew who George Washington was. And I told him that we have fireworks to remind ourselves of the war our founding fathers fought so we could have a country of our own and make our own rules, such as the one that says he has to sit in a car seat until he grows another half inch. Not sure just how true that is about the reasons behind celebrating with Saturn missiles and Roman candles, but that's how I see it.
We also talked about Israel's Independence Day. Unlike in America, over there, the same old war still seems to be going on. Yesterday, more than 40 rockets were fired at Israel's towns. A soldier was injured. The other day, a rocket scored a direct hit on a house. Luckily, its residents were in their shelter. Israel's aircraft bombed some weapons storage facilities and concealed launch sites in Gaza. Meanwhile, other wars are happening other places. Iraq, for instance. I read that the Saudis have moved troops to their border now.
I guess it seems ironic to me that we would celebrate independence with sorry imitations of war. Sure, fireworks are pretty and fun, unless you've got PTSD. But it's not only us. Some of the best fireworks shows I ever saw were in Russia. They really get into them there, at least for Victory Day. Yet, it's my opinion that on Independence Day, we would do better to celebrate with peace and quiet instead. Surely we've earned it as a country -- or at least our soldiers and leaders, past and present, have.
And anyway, fireworks aren't just wimpy in comparison to the cannons of old and the missiles and bombs of today. They also pale in comparison to nature's display. Last night, a few people in our neighborhood were setting off fireworks. But then, a thunder storm rolled into our valley. As the lightning strikes lit up the sky and our house shook from noisy rumbles, I found the silly little popping noise of the fireworks sadly outdone. My husband and I celebrated our freedom by watching the storm, having a glass of wine, and making out on the couch. I know, TMI. But we're heading to visit relatives now, where we'll have to try to be impressed with the fireworks while working hard to keep the kids away from them, and I don't think we're going to enjoy it half so much.
We also talked about Israel's Independence Day. Unlike in America, over there, the same old war still seems to be going on. Yesterday, more than 40 rockets were fired at Israel's towns. A soldier was injured. The other day, a rocket scored a direct hit on a house. Luckily, its residents were in their shelter. Israel's aircraft bombed some weapons storage facilities and concealed launch sites in Gaza. Meanwhile, other wars are happening other places. Iraq, for instance. I read that the Saudis have moved troops to their border now.
I guess it seems ironic to me that we would celebrate independence with sorry imitations of war. Sure, fireworks are pretty and fun, unless you've got PTSD. But it's not only us. Some of the best fireworks shows I ever saw were in Russia. They really get into them there, at least for Victory Day. Yet, it's my opinion that on Independence Day, we would do better to celebrate with peace and quiet instead. Surely we've earned it as a country -- or at least our soldiers and leaders, past and present, have.
And anyway, fireworks aren't just wimpy in comparison to the cannons of old and the missiles and bombs of today. They also pale in comparison to nature's display. Last night, a few people in our neighborhood were setting off fireworks. But then, a thunder storm rolled into our valley. As the lightning strikes lit up the sky and our house shook from noisy rumbles, I found the silly little popping noise of the fireworks sadly outdone. My husband and I celebrated our freedom by watching the storm, having a glass of wine, and making out on the couch. I know, TMI. But we're heading to visit relatives now, where we'll have to try to be impressed with the fireworks while working hard to keep the kids away from them, and I don't think we're going to enjoy it half so much.
The darker side of being an adrenaline junkie
My husband and I used to joke that after living so long in (relatively) crazy places like Russia and Israel, we'd have to move to Afghanistan to feel we were keeping up with the level of excitement we're used to. I suppose that would more mean Iraq today -- hey, the Kurds are nice people, we know some. And in fact, we'd love to visit places like Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, even Iran. Someday. As for living in Montana… Well, it hasn't been overly exciting so far, except for the terrible car accident we got into when moving here that totaled our minivan. But I could do without that sort of excitement. And yet…
Once, a friend told me about how he went bungee jumping, three times in one day. Afterwards, he found himself speeding in his car, because it felt like he was going super slow. Such are the effects of adrenaline. Even worse, after months of prolonged exposure to stress, there is a physiological change that occurs in the body: You can literally become an adrenaline addict.
Now, in a country that is just getting over its own little war, in which thousands of rockets were launched at it, Israeli tourists are supposedly flocking to the Golan Heights with binoculars in hand to watch the battle play out between rebels and the Syrian Army on the other side of the border. See photos here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/artic.... Nor is this a particularly safe form of recreation, since there are reports of Israelis being injured from errant fire almost daily. Maybe about as safe as skydiving or other extreme sports. But far be it from me to criticize them. As anyone who's watched the Hurt Locker knows, war can get to be addicting. But that doesn't necessarily let those of us who aren't actively involved in combat off the hook, as the entertainment industry can testify. Sure, movies are safer, but are they really?
In fact, constant exposure to stress (and adrenaline) isn't good for your health. I say this as a person with a driven personality, who can't seem to get enough to do, who has been on the verge of nervous breakdowns in the past. But once you've reached a certain level of activity and stress, it becomes agonizing to cut back, until you're flat on your face and have to sit on the beach for three months. Been there, done that. And still, though in our right mind, we might know better, once you get used to something, it's hard to go back to "normal." You grow hardened to anything less. And the hardening is a type of defense mechanism. I can almost guarantee you that there was less coverage, interest, and fewer Google searches made on Steven Sotloff's beheading by ISIS than there was of James Foley's, which came first. Why do you think that ISIS is giving kids dolls and knives to play with so they get used to decapitations?
But where is the balance between hardening ourselves, whether consciously or unconsciously, to stress, war, and other negative factors, and letting things get to us? I remember a photography exhibit of the faces of Israeli women that I once saw. I would say that compared to the average American, there was a definite hardness to them. Sure, the body's defenses kick in and we become less affected by stressful things, but there is a price. I would love to be soft, empathetic, and relaxed. I'd love to be the person who enjoys chick-flicks and rom-coms instead of action/suspense films, yet at the same time, that also seems detrimental in its own right.
With that, I have to report that I went to the Planet Beach spa yesterday and enjoyed an aqua massage! Yes, it was quite relaxing. But it was almost more stressful to take 20 minutes out of my hectic day just to lie there and do nothing else. Sheesh! Life is tough. So today, I took this unscientific stress-test. You can, too, at http://stress.about.com/library/adren.... I scored 5 out of 10, meaning that I'm an adrenaline junkie and might need to scale things back a bit. I'm definitely going to try. Just as soon as I get everything else done…
Once, a friend told me about how he went bungee jumping, three times in one day. Afterwards, he found himself speeding in his car, because it felt like he was going super slow. Such are the effects of adrenaline. Even worse, after months of prolonged exposure to stress, there is a physiological change that occurs in the body: You can literally become an adrenaline addict.
Now, in a country that is just getting over its own little war, in which thousands of rockets were launched at it, Israeli tourists are supposedly flocking to the Golan Heights with binoculars in hand to watch the battle play out between rebels and the Syrian Army on the other side of the border. See photos here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/artic.... Nor is this a particularly safe form of recreation, since there are reports of Israelis being injured from errant fire almost daily. Maybe about as safe as skydiving or other extreme sports. But far be it from me to criticize them. As anyone who's watched the Hurt Locker knows, war can get to be addicting. But that doesn't necessarily let those of us who aren't actively involved in combat off the hook, as the entertainment industry can testify. Sure, movies are safer, but are they really?
In fact, constant exposure to stress (and adrenaline) isn't good for your health. I say this as a person with a driven personality, who can't seem to get enough to do, who has been on the verge of nervous breakdowns in the past. But once you've reached a certain level of activity and stress, it becomes agonizing to cut back, until you're flat on your face and have to sit on the beach for three months. Been there, done that. And still, though in our right mind, we might know better, once you get used to something, it's hard to go back to "normal." You grow hardened to anything less. And the hardening is a type of defense mechanism. I can almost guarantee you that there was less coverage, interest, and fewer Google searches made on Steven Sotloff's beheading by ISIS than there was of James Foley's, which came first. Why do you think that ISIS is giving kids dolls and knives to play with so they get used to decapitations?
But where is the balance between hardening ourselves, whether consciously or unconsciously, to stress, war, and other negative factors, and letting things get to us? I remember a photography exhibit of the faces of Israeli women that I once saw. I would say that compared to the average American, there was a definite hardness to them. Sure, the body's defenses kick in and we become less affected by stressful things, but there is a price. I would love to be soft, empathetic, and relaxed. I'd love to be the person who enjoys chick-flicks and rom-coms instead of action/suspense films, yet at the same time, that also seems detrimental in its own right.
With that, I have to report that I went to the Planet Beach spa yesterday and enjoyed an aqua massage! Yes, it was quite relaxing. But it was almost more stressful to take 20 minutes out of my hectic day just to lie there and do nothing else. Sheesh! Life is tough. So today, I took this unscientific stress-test. You can, too, at http://stress.about.com/library/adren.... I scored 5 out of 10, meaning that I'm an adrenaline junkie and might need to scale things back a bit. I'm definitely going to try. Just as soon as I get everything else done…
