I know, McGrath, and the knowledge makes me feel cowardly. On the other hand, I suppose that we - meaning, humans- react pretty much the same, and if the time comes that we have the same situation here that they have in so many other parts of the world we too will somehow cope.

It's also not exactly cowardice, either, I think; it's uncertainty, and that uncertainty will not go away in my lifetime, I should imagine.

My point is simply that I was surprised to discover that I had a visceral, physical reaction to a simple statement from the woman. In the past, I would not have had that reaction.