Peter, good question, but it hits too close to home. It reminds me of the time I returned home from a run, after being chased down by not one, but three dogs. My now-ex went off on me. He told me how ridiculous it was that I didn’t understand that the dogs only came after me because I was scared of them. Why was I afraid? I was afraid because they ran after me. I was afraid because they snarled and barked at me.

But somehow, if I refused to be scared, they wouldn’t come after me? This was his style of victim blaming and shaming.

We are afraid because we are under threat. And the threat is not “in our heads”. It is real.

Wish we didn’t have to be.