My temper normally has a very long fuse
I used to run a furniture store-sales, collections, repossessions.
If I could collect the money owed me, I could retire even if I invested in CD's. And could have retired in 1991 at the age of 36.
What got to me was the people who smirked at me and told me they were planning on screwing me over when they bought $2000 worth of merchandise.
Had several incidents where I either escalated the tension or allowed it to unfold as it would. Guy I was repossessing said he was going to go get his gun. I calmly told him to go get and that I would be waiting right here in his living room. He never came back.
I realized that I was basically getting crazy over the situation. That I was going to wind up dead or in prison. So I quit the furniture business and returned to college to change careers. And I quit carrying for over ten years.
In 1998, I began to carry again. No problems, no confrontations. My fuse is back to its normal length. Before, I was to the point that I needed to be in a society that condoned duels.
An honest look into yourself is necessary when making the decision to carry and that look needs to be done on a daily basis. You need to ask yourself whether you are fit to follow your moral code and the law. I wasn't for quite some time. I didn't carry through the majority of that time period. But only sheer luck got me through the worst times without getting into bad trouble.
I refuse to give up my First Amendment Right to express my opinion when exercising my Second Amendment Rights.
If you refuse to control your mouth then you'd best avoid places where discretion is the better part of valor. Otherwise you will definitely someday find yourself in a position which is both tactically and strategically poor.
I made a comment under my breath one day admiring the beauty of a waitress in a Mexican restaurant. My buddy, who is fluent in Spanish, heard my comment. His reply was,"Byron, I don't know how many Mexicans it would take to whip your butt but I know how many they'd use." So I made the choice to exercise my First Amendment right in the privacy of my own mind in certain settings.