I never met Rena, nor knew much about her personally, with the exception of a blog she kept of her experiences as a victim of “gang-stalking.” Her blog captured my attention due to an honesty that set it apart from the murky sea of online propaganda that masquerades as victims’ accounts. She was a visually impaired University of Minnesota student, being trained in social services when her ordeal began in 2007. A friend of hers left a final comment on her unfinished blog, stating that Rena recently committed suicide. Her heartrending story, and its outcome, deeply grieved me. I know her despair. Her brief blog was a plea for help, and a struggle to understand the bizarre cruelty that made her life intolerable. It may be that she was chosen as a target of convenience for practice by bored teams of  “gang-stalkers.” Her precious life was little more than a toy for amusement in their hands. Does anyone deserve such inhumane and unjust treatment?

“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord” -Romans 12:19 (New International Version)

One of the most amazing displays of physical control was furnished by Charles Blondin in the latter half of the 19th century. He crossed Niagara Falls a number of times, first in 1859, on a tightrope 1,100 feet long and 160 feet above the water. After that, he did so each time with a different display of his ability: blindfolded, in a sack, trundling a wheelbarrow, on stilts, and carrying a man on his back. To maintain such balance required extremely great physical self-control. Due to the achievements his superb physical control made possible, Blondin was rewarded with both fame and fortune.

As any victim of government sponsored directed energy weapons torture and psychological attacks (including community policing based “gang-stalking”) is well aware, one of the greatest challenges we face is maintaining self control. The daily barrage of humiliating actions we undergo are designed to provoke us, luring us into self-destructive behavior. However, like a skilled tightrope walker, we must cultivate self-control. Indeed, our very survival is dependent on staying in firm control of our emotions and actions. That can be a challenge, as the desire to retaliate in some way may at times seem overpowering. To counter such ill-advised thinking, we may need to adjust our attitude and view self-control as the superior response, a facet of our true inner strength.

Sadly, popular entertainment glorifies the “hero” that answers all provocation and ill treatment with an outburst of violence, vanquishing his enemies as the admiring audience cheers him on. Unlike movie violence, real-life retaliation often carries severe, life changing penalties and losses. The person who keeps himself under control is better equipped to make decisions that are in his best long-term interests. Those who lose control of their emotions, giving in to anger, often live to regret the outcome of their actions.

Do you see self-control as your strength? Not merely control of your actions. This includes controlling your emotions as well. Unless we highly value the ability to rein in our emotions, we will develop grudges and bitterness which lead to outbursts of anger. We will also damage our health, and healthy relationships, compounding the effects of the psychological attacks we undergo.

“By over-responding to conflict and not trusting others, hostile people might also be at risk because they don’t benefit physiologically from their social relationships; People most prone to anger were almost three times more likely to have a heart attack than those with low anger in a recent study of 12,986 participants…” - Angry Thoughts, At-Risk Hearts, Monitor on Psychology (American Psychological Association)

In view of the foregoing, it is vital that we divest ourselves of the perverse admiration of “good guy” violence and retaliation often seen in movies, and see the tremendous benefits that developing self-control can bring us. Such self-control is a measure of true masculinity and emotional maturity, that will contribute to greater success in all facets of life.

For a skilled tightrope walker like Charles Blondin, a loss of self-control while performing could have meant great physical harm or even death. Is it really any different for us as victims of psychological warfare? When we highly value and cultivate self-control, we protect our health, and may well preserve our lives. Therefore, view self-control as your strength!

“He that is slow to anger is better than a mighty man - Proverbs 16:32