They carried the soldier's greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to.”
» Fear changes. Untried soldiers were more afraid of "being a coward" (36%) than of being crippled and disfigured (25%). But veterans dreaded crippling (39%) nore than showing their fears (8%).
In the opening chapter, the narrator writes that his fellow soldiers “carried the soldier's greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing.” When most people think about what soldiers fear most, do you think they would say it's this particular fear?
In times of stress, our brains generate self-talk that can dramatically increase our feelings of fear. Soldiers fight back against this by actively reminding themselves to mentally shout over those thoughts. They focus on the positive part of the experience, repeating words like “faster” when they need to go faster.
Tim O'Brien Quotes from The Things They Carried
“They carried the sky. The whole atmosphere, they carried it, the humidity, the monsoons, the stink of fungus and decay, all of it, they carried gravity.” “I survived, but it's not a happy ending.” “you're never more alive than when you're almost dead.”
Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell : I'll protect you. All you gotta do is take this pocket right here and ya life'll be all peaches and cream. I walk, you walk with me. Keep real close now, so no one up in here can hurt you.
A child's spirit is like a child, you can never catch it by running after it; you must stand still, and, for love, it will soon itself come back.
They carried the soldier's greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor.
Military service meant many months away from home and loved ones, long hours of drill, often inadequate food or shelter, disease, and many days spent marching on hot, dusty roads or in a driving rainstorm burdened with everything a man needed to be a soldier as well as baggage enough to make his life as comfortable as ...
Fear should be our best friend. It's a chemical reaction, a signal to pay attention to a threat. It's our brain alerting us to danger, triggering the classic fight-or-flight response—sweaty palms, dry mouth, an increase in breathing and heart rate, a jolt of adrenalin—to help us survive.
William Westmoreland Quotes
War is fear cloaked in courage.
Fear is an inherently natural reaction to a life-threatening situation (combat), causing at best a less capable and decisive soldier. At worst, the soldier may endure a complete psychological paralysis.
In 2002, the elite United States Army unit F.E.A.R. (First Encounter Assault Recon) was founded to "combat paranormal threats to national security".
Fear of the unknown is universal, but it seems to take form most commonly in three basic human fundamental fears: Fear of Death, Fear of Abandonment or Fear of Failure.
For some, this may affect emotional health, triggering anxiety and stress. It usually stems from worrying the same things may happen where you live. This is a common reaction. In fact, some experts have dubbed this phenomenon “ headline stress disorder,” “war anxiety,” or “nuclear anxiety.”
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sometimes known as shell shock or combat stress, occurs after you experience severe trauma or a life-threatening event. It's normal for your mind and body to be in shock after such an event, but this normal response becomes PTSD when your nervous system gets “stuck.”
The trench experience involved the terror of mud, slime and disease and the constant threat of shellfire.
Being in combat and being separated from your family can be stressful. The stress can put service members and veterans at risk for mental health problems. These include anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and substance use. Suicide can also be a concern.
“As a Soldier, this might mean fighting alongside your teammates, despite knowing you could die. It also means telling the truth when you make a mistake, and adhering to standards even when others aren't or it might adversely affect your career.”
“Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war.” “America without her soldiers would be like God without His angels.” “No man is a man until he has been a soldier.” “Freedom is never free.”
Despite prevailing notions of masculine bravery, soldiers' letters, diaries, and memoirs described the fear experience - associated with “baptism by fire”, different kinds of weaponry (including gas and air bombs), panicking or retreating units, and other feelings such as hatred, revenge, and shame.
Arthur Miller wanted to send a message about intolerance and hysteria in "The Crucible." He wanted to highlight how both can lead to being illogical and inhumane towards people. In the play, people lose their freedom and lives because they do not conform to norms and because people are swept away by fear and anxiety.
Playwright Arthur Miller, in researching the Salem witch trials, saw the similarities between the hysteria and fear of the witch trials and the Red Scare of impending communism. He created The Crucible as an allegory for McCarthyism and unfounded accusations of communist loyalties.
Arthur Fry Quotes
Those who invest only to get rich will fail. Those who invest to help others will probably succeed. The creative mind doesn't have to have the whole pattern-it can have just a little piece and be able to envision the whole picture in completion.