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Darth Wong wrote: I don't need to go downtown except for recreation. There's a difference, dumb-ass.

That's what I meant. Your not a wimp because your not avoiding things that you have to do.

You should have seen my mom, who works a block or two from the Sears Tower, how she reacted.

Darth Wong wrote:Ever since the Al-Quaeda tape was released that specifically named Canada as one of the target nations, I've been reluctant to go downtown because Toronto is Canada's equivalent to New York: the capital city in all but name.

Does this make me a wimp?

The key is that you are reluctant, if you still do it then you have conquered fear.

A fundamental lesson of boot camp and beyod was that fear will always be with you, avoiding it will never do anything but harm you so you must confront it. If you surrender to the fear, give in and curl up in a shell unwilling to do something because of fear then you have surrendered your freedom to it. However just because you can overcome your fear and do something does not make it wise. There is a big difference between wimp and cautious. A wimp is unwilling or unable to take any risk, they live a thankless life I think. However one cannot simply do something simply to prove that they have conquered a fear. Being cautious is perfectly reasonable.

What defines you is not whether you have the fear but how you respond.

Not to put too hard a point on it, Mike, but being afraid doesn't make you a wimp. It does, however, guarantee that the 'terror tactics' work. I get personally angry at rather than afraid of groups who feel that they can control the actions of proud nations by instilling mortal fear into its citizens.

Personally, I live in the capital. I am worried that some day, it might all come down here, but in the meanwhile, I refuse to give the impression that I'm afraid of them. So if you ask, I'd say yeah, I'm worried. And you're justified. But if a camera asks, I'd say "I'm not scared, and I'm not going to act afraid just because of those idiots. They aren't going to control us here."

I've changed my routine a little bit since I live overseas. Being a fairly large white guy in a sea of Koreans makes me stand out. Heck, I'm a little worried since North Korea has been acting up lately. It doesn't make you a wimp at all Mr. Wong. It just makes you human.

XPViking

You're not a wimp, Mike. It's perfectly natural to be scared. I mean, you've got a wife and kids.