Jason - I have been struggling with some of the same feelings since leaving the Navy in June. My dog sits and judges me while sit and attempt to write. I am actually working on an essay related to the epidemic of male loneliness. Oh, and the Gaylord is a world of its own. Very overwhelming!
Darn it, I wish I could've been at Bouchercon. It sounds fabulous. I'm glad that you got to go and experience the community of writers.
On a different topic. Do most ex-police struggle with reintegration into society? (It seems to be an issue with ex-military folks, too.) If so, what could people (both in law enforcement and in the general public) do to aid the transition?
I was being specific to me and sarcastic (kinda), but I think the bunker mentality in police comes in part from police being generalized and dehumanized as faceless instruments of an evil government force. Police officers are varied and should not be lauded or demonized en masse. They can be lazy, dedicated, corrupt, ethical, hard-working, racist...I could go on. They are, without fail, members of the working class. And that all too often goes unremarked upon.
Jason - I have been struggling with some of the same feelings since leaving the Navy in June. My dog sits and judges me while sit and attempt to write. I am actually working on an essay related to the epidemic of male loneliness. Oh, and the Gaylord is a world of its own. Very overwhelming!
Good stuff.
Darn it, I wish I could've been at Bouchercon. It sounds fabulous. I'm glad that you got to go and experience the community of writers.
On a different topic. Do most ex-police struggle with reintegration into society? (It seems to be an issue with ex-military folks, too.) If so, what could people (both in law enforcement and in the general public) do to aid the transition?
I was being specific to me and sarcastic (kinda), but I think the bunker mentality in police comes in part from police being generalized and dehumanized as faceless instruments of an evil government force. Police officers are varied and should not be lauded or demonized en masse. They can be lazy, dedicated, corrupt, ethical, hard-working, racist...I could go on. They are, without fail, members of the working class. And that all too often goes unremarked upon.