Re: Reverting to ingrained habits in a crisis is not, IMO, an example of "panic".

On soapbox –

IMO, panic results when there is an absence of reason involved. Now I’m no psychologist, and even though I know lack of reason in most situations won’t result in panic, in my way of thinking, panic is a first-response, without-thought avoidance of some threatening condition . . . as close to an “ingrained habit” as it gets.

I’ve spent a lot of time around horses, for example, as many on this site have. Fight or flight is ingrained – d-e-e-p-l-y ingrained. Specially the flight part. That survival instinct results in thoughtless reactions, like running through fences, etc. Are we, the supreme beings of the planet, somehow exempt from such mindless reaction? I don’t think so. We don’t do what comes to mind in a real panic situation, we do what mindlessly results as an ingrained response.

How do we protect ourselves, save ourselves, avoid panic? Training, role playing, practicing, thinking through ahead of time. I may someday die on the street from a shot from my own gun, but ever since I got a license to carry a concealed weapon, I’ve role-played ALOT in my own mind about the consequences of making a bad decision. Since I am panic-averse and don’t want to go down that way, I try hard to decide ahead of time how to both stay alive and remain a free man through it all. Maybe I don’t trust those natural instincts, but when it comes to putting my life on the line I want to have thought about it ahead of time.

The same applies to our treks through the non-concrete jungle. We can all gain peace of mind in practicing our survival skills. KNOWING we can read a compass, KNOWING we can find or make shelter and KNOWING we can start a fire comes from KNOWING ourselves and KNOWING ahead of time how we will respond to potential danger. Training and practice will go a long way in saving our patoots. Otherwise, we’ll probably be safer just staying at home on the couch.

Off soapbox –

What is a soapbox, anyway?

Over and out.