Controlling Our Fear

By Sheriff Jim Wilson. Oct 1, 2022

Yesterday a friend and I were riding our horses in a beautiful wooded canyon in this high desert country where I live. Our enjoyment was suddenly interrupted when a rather large diamondback rattlesnake began to cross the trail right in front of us. We held our horses still and yielded right-of-way. In no time, he went on his way and we went on ours.

We had both grown up in rattler country and understood quite a bit about snakes. Although I had a .357 Magnum revolver on my hip, there were no livestock in this big pasture and I saw no need to kill the rattler. However, we stayed alert to the possible danger and then went on our way once it had passed.

You might ask what all of this has to do with personal defense. It is simply a matter of having educated oneself and having plans for dealing with the potential threat. The biggest reason that we make unwise decisions in a threat situation is that they are unexpected and unplanned for. Fear of the unknown takes over and our judgment is impaired. .....