Still Frightened After All These Years

Discussion in 'Dreams & Interpretations' started by Jeff Tracy, Sep 10, 2017.

  1. Neville Telen

    Neville Telen Veteran Member
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    It is quite the useful skill to acquire, though it would of been a lot more useful to have had as a child, when dreams are the most intense. Never figured out why such things are not taught to children...guess people are too busy teaching history that may or may not have happened, and algebra that will most likely never be used.
     
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  2. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    Although I am extremely fond of history and math subjects, I do believe you might be onto something. If say, bio-feedback were to be wedged into the student curriculum at a fairly early age (pre-teen), I really believe the young cherubs would walk away with a root system of mental possibilities.
    At the present, even a student taking an introduction to Psychology in the teen years would not study dream control much less the finer aspects of bio-feedback.

    I didn't list any particular "fear" in my last post because I had to think about it. Other than the reason I learned to control whatever happens during REM, (and other cycles of sleep) I really do not have any type of phobia that I know of.
    In my estimation, the majority of fears point back to the fear of death for which I really have no regard whether it concerns my own demise or someone else's. Now, perhaps my inability to deliberately hurt myself might be seen as a fear. I am no dare devil but then if getting a boo boo is inevitable when I try to accomplish something and it stands in the way of achieving a goal, then boo boo it is but I still do not like it.
    Call it the Stoic in me, but it is what it is.
     
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  3. Neville Telen

    Neville Telen Veteran Member
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    In my day the school system had a 'Health' class that was pretty useless, even though it was touted as teaching 'life skills', it actually taught a whole lot of nothing, but was good for napping. True life skills were not part of the public school system curriculum back then, and from what I hear, nothing much has improved...if anything its gotten worse. The only really useful class I recall was one called 'Critical Thinking, and I'm told it does not exist in schools today. I doubt dream-control, nor much else akin to real life skills will ever make it into the classroom.
     
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  4. Chris Ladewig

    Chris Ladewig Veteran Member
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    Not much makes me afraid any more but I get uncomfortable about cancer.
     
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  5. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I don't want it to sound like I am never afraid of anything because I am, but I don't know that I have any specific phobias. I wouldn't want them crawling or slithering all over the place, but I'm not particularly afraid of spiders or snakes. I am way more aware of the dangers in heights now than I used to be but, as a child, I climbed a radio tower with my cousin, and we hung a pair of long underwear from the antenna itself, at the top. I had to trust my cousin to keep me from falling while I used both hands to tie the knots. Yeah, that was scary but that was also a very stupid thing to do, so I think the fear was reasonable. Nowadays, I am afraid to get up on my roof, although I didn't mind that only ten years ago. Again though, I think that's reasonable since I am not as steady as I was a decade ago.

    I worked as a paramedic for twenty years, part of that time as a SWAT medic, meaning that we carried a big, scary assault rifle, and were trained to go in while the shooting was still going on. Unfortunately, I never really had the chance to do that. I say, unfortunately, because it might have been interesting. I carried the gun, but we were never actually called in until the shooting was over. Oddly enough, I very much hate being around blood and gore. As a paramedic, I would be busy so there wasn't really time to think about how disgusting it was. Vomit is worse than blood and gore, however.

    Knives scare me more than guns do. Not the knife itself, of course, but I think I'd rather have someone attack me with a gun than a knife. Unless, of course, I had a gun; then I'd want the attacker to have a knife, and not to be right next to me. Knives are more painful, I think. There again, I think it's reasonable to be afraid of someone attacking you with a knife or a gun.

    I can appreciate why some people find clowns to be creepy because they really are, kind of. But I'm not afraid of them.

    I tell myself that I shouldn't be, but I am afraid of death. I am a Christian and I think I have a pretty good chance of getting into heaven regardless of my faults, although I don't know what to expect there. Nevertheless, the uncertainties surrounding death scare me more than they intrigue me.

    But probably, the thing that scares me the most would be of being alone and unable to support myself. When I was in my late teens or my twenties, that would have been more of a discomfort than a fear, because I knew, then, that it would be a temporary condition. Being old, alone, and unable to support myself would be another matter, I think. Yeah, that's probably my greatest fear.

    Yeah, I know. None of these were dreams. I enjoy my dreams; even the ones that are trying to scare me.
     
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  6. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    On more than one occasion, the police have advised me about criminals with knives versus a gun. A person with a gun might or might not be really sure they actually want to hurt someone but a person with a knife....a whole different story. Generally, a person with a knife knows how to use it and is not afraid to do whatever damage he or she can do with it. A person with a knife generally enjoys close quarters combat.

    A scenario involving a thief carrying a large stick robbing a liquor store: Pointing at the till, the thief says to the owner, "give me the money". The owner said, "no". The thief then hits the store owner several times with the stick. The owner gave the thief the money.
    As the thief started to make his way out the door, the owner called him back and gave him $600.00 out of his wallet saying, "go out and buy yourself a gun because you're going to kill somebody with that stick".
     
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  7. Neville Telen

    Neville Telen Veteran Member
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    I'd prefer a knife (or absolutely any other weapon) over a gun any day. Knives, broken bottles, baseball bat, etc., are reasonably easy to deal with...especially if you carry a fighting cane like I do. If you don't have a gun, about your only chance against one is first strike. You got to get to the guy before he can take it out, cock the hammer, get his finger on the trigger, point it at you, and squeeze. Most thugs that use a gun will make sure he is standing far enough away that this will not happen.
     
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  8. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    I have faced both and felt the effects of both. I would venture to say that about 99% of the population of the U.S., including militarily trained individuals, have no realistic clue what to do when one is faced with an adversary with a weapon of ANY type.
    Some think they know and have even imagined violent scenarios but the truth of the matter is that they really do not know what they will or will not do when subjected to the real deal.

    I not only have extensive military training but am extremely proficient with the discipline of Kenpo but nothing, no matter the training, can prepare a person for the mental attitude and experience of a potential assailant.
    Here's the thing. A person who is robbing someone with a gun will probably collect their money and goods and run off but a person with another type of weapon which demands close quarters to use, will probably rob the person and use the weapon just for kicks. Chances are, they really, really get off on blood shed and love the feel of it.
    I'm really not debating which one is better to be robbed by, but both scenarios have so many different aspects to them but the one whereby someone likes to see pain is a lot scarier than the one I might just question as to their ability to inflict pain or death.
     
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  9. Neville Telen

    Neville Telen Veteran Member
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    Difference is, one you can fight, and have at least a 50/50 chance to win. Unless you got a gun, and can quick draw it faster than the attacker, your life or death is at his choice, and expecting mercy from a bully or thug is wishful thinking. My training in the martial arts well prepared me for dealing with most weapons, but I was well prepared before that. When I was 18 I got inducted into the Hells Angels by my stepfather, and spent near ten years in the club until he was killed. I then joined a traveling carnival, and spent around five years as a carny. I had so many fights during that time I no longer remember how many. Fighting is like anything else. The more experience you have, the better you get. Martial arts can teach you what to do, but cannot supply that most necessary component. There are martial arts competitions and such, but that is not nearly enough. In a street fight there are no rules, no lil point system, no referee. If you want to be able to really fight and consistently win, there is only one way to do it. Pa-kua or Kenpo or whatever are quite useful to learn, but such arts are like a diamond fresh mined...only a lot of direct experience can add that most vital polish that turns an ugly rock into a gem.

    As for a knife, it is no match against a rattan cane. A man with a knife has an attack range of around 3 feet 6 inch (that is 3 ft. arm length plus 6 inch knife). My arm is also about three feet long, but then add another three feet for my cane, and the problem for the attacker is how to 'bridge' me (overcome my 3 foot advantage). When I get a lot older and slower that might happen, but it never has to date.
     
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  10. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    I do not wish to go too far off topic, but just because I too worked with them, which carnival (s) did you travel with? Agent or Ride Jock? Never know, maybe we have met before!

    Perhaps I didn't go too far off topic after all. Some people are deathly afraid of some carnival rides and everyone should be really afraid of a good balloon agent.
     
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    Last edited: Mar 7, 2018
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  11. Neville Telen

    Neville Telen Veteran Member
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    Sorry too long ago. I joined up with the HA at 18, was with the club 10 years, traveled from city to city for about a year after, then ended up in Bloomington (Indiana), I vaguely recall maybe the fourth day I was in town the carnival rolled in. Don't recall the name, but it had the usual rides and sideshows. I don't think it was Agent or Ride Jock, at least that was not the name on the flyers. Was owned by a short fat balding guy (had the Friar Tuck look), always chewing on a cigar but never recall him actually lighting up. Back then I was a sucker for the Ferris Wheel, and the carnival food you could only get there, so when he offered me a job it was a quick sell. Yep, the games were all fixed, and most run by gig artists, but the rides were all well maintained and kept safe.
     
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  12. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    Sorry, but for whatever reason I thought you might have been "with it" for a little longer than you were. Ride Jock and Agent are the classifications given for a person's job on the midway. An agent works in the joints (games) and the Ride Jock is what the name implies. I was an agent and ran the pub dart joints and when I would hook up with Reithoffer I also worked as the show's chaplain.

    Nowadays, the joints can all be beat if a person pays attention to what they are doing and the ride jocks are much better monitored as to their alcohol and drug intake before and during show time. Here's the problem with the rides: On the day the carnival is scheduled to shut down, the jocks work all day and throughout the night, then tear down their rides, get them packed up and moved to the next location with no sleep or real rest for the entire time. A lot of them do take something a little more powerful than caffeine to keep them on their feet and because of that they make mistakes when they have to set up. State and City inspections are harder to pass because of a few accidents that have occurred but obviously even the inspectors can miss something.
    If a person is prone to fearing a ride, perhaps they should be.

    Note: The carnivals really love it when the locals stop by and offer to help set up because they are more awake and able to follow instructions. Yeah, they make minimum wage for some very hard work but if a person needs a extra few bucks, it's worth it.
     
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  13. Neville Telen

    Neville Telen Veteran Member
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    I vaguely recall what the terms mean (although I think you confused the first with ride monkey). The context lead me to assume that you was asking the name of the carnival, and neither was even close, but I can't recall what it was. It wasn't Reithoffer. Anyway I guess you was asking what I did. Never really found out what my title was, or maybe just something else I long forgot. I sorta recall the others saying I was in the goon squad. Basically I was the owners security blanket. When two or more of the guys got into a brawl I was called in to put it down. When the townies got too frisky at the kootch show, I was called in to cool them off. Whenever someone yelled 'Jube' or Rube' or something like that, I was to come running, and be ready for a fight...most of that started by the gig artists. Basically I was like a bouncer at a bar, or maybe just the owners attack dog. Whatever I was, I was well paid, and warned off telling anyone how well paid I was. I don't know that there is much difference setting up on bennies, or setting up under sleep deprivation, so far as mistakes go, but the guy I worked for usually allowed a free day when we first hit town. Not that this stopped most from tanking on uppers anyway, and exploring the town for drugs or whatever.
     
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  14. Hal Pollner

    Hal Pollner Veteran Member
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    I don't have a fear of Heights...I have a fear of Widths.
    Hal
     
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  15. Shirley Martin

    Shirley Martin Supreme Member
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