Reflection Week 1/17

     This week former U.S. Navy Seal, Clay, came and talked to our class about his experiences in the Navy and throughout his life. One thing I thought was really cool was that he gave an amazing description of the intensity of P.T.S. and the severity at which he has it. First of all, it really helped me relate to P.T.S. I always related it to war veterans but now I know that I have P.T.S. with some experiences as well. It also really helped me relate to Ceremony better and see how Tayo is feeling a lot of the time. When Clay described being able to smell gunpowder in the air, hear screaming and shooting, and taste the blood in the air, I could see how vividly those things were appearing for him. I could feel the extreme qualities of those memories in his mind.
     Something that was extremely intense for me, was when Clay talked about the 12-year-old girl he killed in Jordan. I cannot imagine being in that situation or living with that situation everyday from then on. The reality of that situation made me so sad. The fact that there are people in our world, that would persuade a young girl to commit suicide in order to kill others sickens me. I feel sad for that girl. I feel sad for Clay and the severe emotional pain that comes with his job. I feel sad for our world. It is hard to imagine that things like that actually happen in our world. Even though I did not agree with everything he said, Clay made me thankful for his service and for coming and sharing his experiences with our class so that we can understand Ceremony better and the world we live in better.