What is more sad?
Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 3:08 pm
The following is a true story and my own experience; not a copy from the internet. However what followed made me wonder what was more sad the main event or the after math or the reaction to the event.
What are your thoughts?
The other day I saw a patient in my clinic and his face had a strange expression. As doctors take great pride in spot diagnosis, i thought to myself "learning difficulties".
However he was a very intelligent and articulate man and I wasnt sure how he hot that strange expression.
He then told me a chilling story.
5-6 years ago in the middle of the night, he woke up hearing some noise, on further investigating, he realised his neighbours house was being burgled and instinctively he started shouting for help hoping that would stop the gang of burglars.
The burglars, instead of running away turned on him and beat him so badly that he lost 17 teeth! Then they returned to ransacking the property (the neighbours were away) but before leaving, they realised he was still alive.
The patient was beaten so badly that he couldn't even open his eyes but he heard the following:
"He's alive man and he has seen us; we cant leave him like this. He may identify us".
"No he wont".
Then a thud and all went blank.
He opened his eyes days later and found they had struck his skull with a machete. He required 117 stitches to close the wound, was in ICU for days, has had permanant brain and facial nerve damage affecting not only his expression and looks but also his memory. Plastic surgery and nerve damage together gave him an abnormal expression. Since then he has developed epilepsy, had psychiatric complications, constant pain relief had him addicted to morphine.
He is not married, has agorphobia, doesnt socialise. The media hailed him as a hero for what he had done. But no one suggested or even touched upon right to self defence etc.
My first thought was "Only if he had a gun.........." however I didnt voice this due to professional conduct.
I asked him about how he felt looking back. To cut the long story short, not once did he say he wished he was better armed.
When I related this story to my friend who is a hunter, firearm owner, his first reply was. "He was stupid, why did he do it. He should just have let them carry on."
When I told him about RKBA, he confessed that thought and self defence didnt even enter his mind. This is what happens after years of living in a place where you have brainwashed into thinking that self defence is unnecessary.
Last but not the least, the police got a detailed sketch based on his descriptions. He says he can never forget the faces of the peole who tried to kill him. The police artist was also impressed. However the gang committed 6 more burglaries in that neighbourhood and to this day havent been arrested.
Which part of the story do you find the saddest?
What are your thoughts?
The other day I saw a patient in my clinic and his face had a strange expression. As doctors take great pride in spot diagnosis, i thought to myself "learning difficulties".
However he was a very intelligent and articulate man and I wasnt sure how he hot that strange expression.
He then told me a chilling story.
5-6 years ago in the middle of the night, he woke up hearing some noise, on further investigating, he realised his neighbours house was being burgled and instinctively he started shouting for help hoping that would stop the gang of burglars.
The burglars, instead of running away turned on him and beat him so badly that he lost 17 teeth! Then they returned to ransacking the property (the neighbours were away) but before leaving, they realised he was still alive.
The patient was beaten so badly that he couldn't even open his eyes but he heard the following:
"He's alive man and he has seen us; we cant leave him like this. He may identify us".
"No he wont".
Then a thud and all went blank.
He opened his eyes days later and found they had struck his skull with a machete. He required 117 stitches to close the wound, was in ICU for days, has had permanant brain and facial nerve damage affecting not only his expression and looks but also his memory. Plastic surgery and nerve damage together gave him an abnormal expression. Since then he has developed epilepsy, had psychiatric complications, constant pain relief had him addicted to morphine.
He is not married, has agorphobia, doesnt socialise. The media hailed him as a hero for what he had done. But no one suggested or even touched upon right to self defence etc.
My first thought was "Only if he had a gun.........." however I didnt voice this due to professional conduct.
I asked him about how he felt looking back. To cut the long story short, not once did he say he wished he was better armed.
When I related this story to my friend who is a hunter, firearm owner, his first reply was. "He was stupid, why did he do it. He should just have let them carry on."
When I told him about RKBA, he confessed that thought and self defence didnt even enter his mind. This is what happens after years of living in a place where you have brainwashed into thinking that self defence is unnecessary.
Last but not the least, the police got a detailed sketch based on his descriptions. He says he can never forget the faces of the peole who tried to kill him. The police artist was also impressed. However the gang committed 6 more burglaries in that neighbourhood and to this day havent been arrested.
Which part of the story do you find the saddest?