The mental state. That's the part of our necessary survival gear that can't be bought. Hopefully we will learn a lot about that crucial element of survival from this series.
We might learn something but the real deal is ultimately where the rubber meets the road. For example...
I am a cop. Over the course of twenty years, I have trained for and participated in an untold number of building searches. All require caution and careful execution and, in my experience, most result in no intruders being found. All in all, no big deal most of the time. A few weeks ago, I was home alone, messing around in the basement, when I thought I heard someone upstairs. I grabbed a weapon and proceeded to do a full search of my home. I don't know what I heard but there was no one else in the house and everything was secure.
What caught me off guard was the way my heart was pounding. Even with all of my training and experience on the street, it was totally different when I thought someone was in MY home. I now feel that no matter how much we learn and train before the fact, nothing can completely prepare us for the real deal except experiencing it. We can only hope that our training will take over when our mental state is compromised.