Having been a target of psychological attacks and directed energy weapons torture for eleven years, I have had the opportunity to observe my antagonists at length. In some cases, I have been in proximity to the same individuals participating in my harassment for two to five years. This gives me the opportunity to study them. I have been especially interested in discerning the long-term effects of hostility and mean-spiritedness on a person’s physical health. Doing so is a far more meaningful exercise to me than simply becoming provoked by their appearance.

In essence, I have watched a number of these individuals age before my eyes. While my observations are only that, merely observations . . . I come away convinced of the enormous physical and emotional toll that their occupation wreaks on their own bodies and minds. To my eyes, it appears that many of them are afflicted in middle age with maladies normally associated with old age. You also see the signs of a temperament hardened by cruelty. Recent studies have documented the long-term effects of hostility on the body. I was doing some research on this issue and found an excellent article that discussed the challenges law enforcement officers face in coping with anger. Dr. Dorothy McCoy, a clinical counselor, provides helpful tips in this column that can be of great value to the victims of long-term injustice as well. Here is a quote I found especially useful.

“. . . Approximately 90 percent of all situations are neutral. That means they are neither negative nor positive until you process them through your belief system. You decide if they are stressful or not. We create the majority of our stress and anger. If we believe that we can successfully resolve a situation, then we do not consider it stressful.”—My Thoughts Create My Anger?

This shows the powerful role played by our own attitude in determining if daily provocations become a source of stress. In many cases, it is not the situation that creates stress. We make the decision to respond in a stressful way. If that is the case, we also have the power to decide not to respond with stress-producing anger or frustation!

I found a fascinating thought in this regard in a Bible prophecy that discussed Jesus Christ’s response to the enormously stressful events he endured leading up to his death—the ultimate act of injustice. In Isaiah 50:6, commenting on what he faced, it says: “My face I did not conceal from humiliating things and spit.” This refers to the humiliating treatment Jesus would face of being punched, cursed, reviled, and spit upon shortly before his death. Humiliating and stressful treatment indeed! However, notice his response as revealed in the next verse (Isaiah 50:7): “But the Sovereign Lord Jehovah himself will help me. That is why I shall not have to feel humiliated. That is why I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” Jesus, confident of his Heavenly Father’s support, chose not to feel humiliated by humiliating events in his life. He chose not to be ashamed. Likewise, we can also choose our response to the humiliating and potentially stressful events we face. Choosing not to become angry and mean-spirited, with its resultant stress, can be a tremendous protection for our emotional and physical health. It will also allow us to control the outcome of potentially harmful encounters. Our controlled and principled response is an admirable display of genuine courage in imitation of the flint-like determination of the Christ.

So, in closing, how will you choose to respond?

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