In case anyone missed this. Here it is again.

What is the psychological toll of being a constant state of readiness? I would have to imagine that being a a constant state of readiness would become draining very very quickly. While I understand that you can dial it down as the situation merits is it possible to aclimitize yourself to a semi state of constant readiness or is there a point that it catches up to you and it kicks your ass.

No toll whatsoever, other than possibly surviving/avoiding bad situations you may have blundered right into if you were just cruising along fat and happy. There are absolutely no adverse side effects to living your life in a constant condition yellow. Basically this just means pull your head out and Pay attention to wtf is going on around you. Do it, You'll live longer

My .02

None, other than my wife tells me that I am paranoid and make other people nervous. I guess that makes me a stress carrier, not a stress victim.

Friends tell me that I have an evil laugh, and tend to smile with my mouth when my eyes are not smiling, if you get my drift.

I am in agreement with Air.177 on this. I notice no toll or cost associated with being aware. Blundering about in Condition White is how you see people who were carjacked and say that they never even saw the guy. As my Dad used to say, you grab my doorhandle, you better have a good grip, cause we are going to see whether the 0-60 time changes with an external passenger.

I threaten no one intentionally, but I keep my eye on everyone. It is a healthy habit, and I expect to live longer because of it.

TR

LOL! Your right! About the vigilance I mean...

Rubberneck, Condition Yellow isn't necessarily stressful; its more about being aware of what's going on around you and filtering out the white noise to pick up danger indicators. Do you look around, up and down rather than straight ahead when you walk down a street? When you enter a building, do you take note of the exits and room layout? Before you approach an ATM or other area with a possible threat do you look around to see where others are and what they're doing? When you drive, do you check your mirrors often and look as far ahead as you can see? If you answer yes to questions like these, you're in Condition Yellow.

Right - Condition Yellow = Head removed from 4th Point of Contact.

So, how will this affect reactions?

Ask the people who live in NYC. Reaper's description sounds about like most of the folks I know who were raised there (bridge and tunnel people not included, some of them seem to be in a daze).

Slows it down if you are untrained.

When shit goes down you have to either fight your bodies natural defenses, or train so much that you alter your bodies natural defenses into a set course of action(s) that will give you the best chance of survival.

My Professor used to call this your "Inner Warrior Awakening". You train the Inner Warrior every time you do any type of Martial Arts, Shooting, or Monkey Stomping training. Basically any type of self defenses/preservation training. Any time the shit hits the fan and you are not ready for it your body will do what you train it to do. This is AKA as muscle memory drills stuff you don't have to think about.

Am I close NDD and Blademaster? Or am I giving the cure to the problem?

My wife seems to think I am crazy/paranoid, but I carry concealed religously. She doesnt understand that alot of people in this land would just as easy gut her and watch her bleed out as say" hey how are you doing". I am constantly evaluating everyone walking near us or past us, always sizing up the situation. Does this person look like he is packing?Is that guy keeping his glance or stare a lil longer than he should. Is that area behind the car safe? I am putting My son in the car and my wife and daughter are on the other side, constantly looking up and over at them and behind me to make sure my 6 is clear.

JJ

Or maybe find a system that takes advantage of these natural reactions to stress?

Hmmmm.... sounds like the "Kill or be killed" system to me....

Roger.

Um.....Ya that too. :)