How did i not crack up?
As a small child, i was horribly neglected and sexually abused. As i got older, i was picked on constantly in school and in my older teens i was physically abused by my mothers husband and recieved seval beatings by him until i learned to hit back. My mother literally abandoned me at 17 when she moved out and left me in the house to fend for myself. Her excuse was that her husband left because i hit him. After that i joined the army and was sent to iraq. I never looked back.
Most people in my shoes would have a lot of problems, but i dont think i do. I enjoy my life in the country and dont usually think about the past. I listen to celtic music and plant fruit trees in the spring and go on long walks with my wife around our farm.
My older brother and sister are in bad shape mentally. They are both on strong meds and would not be able to take care of themselves of it were not for their spouses.
Why did i not succumb to the effects of the abuse and the war the way my siblings did? Did i just not inherit those bad genes that make you sucessible to mental illness? Did i learn to shut out the pain of my past?