The Fight-Or-Flight Response

The fight-or-flight response is the fundamental physiological reaction to potentially harmful or threatening situations. Essentially it states that our bodies are programmed from birth to either fight back, or get out of harm’s way when we are in danger. In times of chaos, such as war, this fight-or-flight response can be seen in a range of ways: soldiers at the front line of battle, families hiding-out for months on end, women and children fleeing to other countries. Oftentimes, one who flees is deemed a coward, and one who fights back a hero. However, this assumption is not always true. Human nature is not the only factor that decides whether you are a coward or a hero. Personal integrity and values play a more crucial role in determining

Average civilians can become murderers overnight, and lose touch with their past and who they used to be. Yet Dragan does not forget who he is. He does not feel the need to change because of the war. It takes a great deal of courage to remain unchanging when every sign points you to change; going against the “status quo” is not easy in any situation, let alone during a war. He demonstrates this stability in a variety of ways. Firstly, he continues to go into work despite the risks, simply out of his desire to not give into his fear. By going to work each day, he is taking the risk of being killed in the streets. He is not acting cowardly and hiding out, rather trying to maintain some sense of his previous life. The past is another aspect that Dragan does not lose touch with because of the war. Dragan holds onto his fond memories of Sarajevo and his family in order to be true to himself. His inability to let go of the hope that he could “walk openly down the streets of the city with his wife and son, sit in a restaurant and eat a meal, browse the windows of shops, free from the men with guns” speaks to his values, and his courage to not forget how things used to be. Additionally, Dragan is able to be honest with himself about his fears. Admitting that he is afraid of the war to himself and others takes a great deal of courage, especially considering the stigma surrounding men being afraid. Dragan

His realization that he was unable to help his friend due to fear makes him aware that he cannot remain inactive. There is no person or external motivation behind this shift in thinking: it is Dragan’s instinct of “what is right and what is wrong” that pushes him out of his comfort zone and to become courageous. Dragan observes the “hatless man” be helplessly gunned down in the street. His heart doesn’t initially go out to the man, as he knows that this happens each day. However, the camera crew that sets up to film the man’s lifeless corpse strikes a chord inside of Dragan. His integral values of right and wrong give him the courage to act, and he drags the man out of the street where the camera crew is unable to film him. Dragan is not a believer in the war and what it entails, and this act of courage shows his determination to not give into the corruption of war. He saves the man not only from the camera crew, but from becoming another image broadcasted across the world. The shift in Dragan that demonstrates that although he is acting courageous in the face of danger, he is doing it for reasons important to him and in a way that adheres to who he is as a