[MargaretR]

In my early childhood I recall taking refuge under the stairs when the german bombers flew over..........WW2

This was followed by the cold war, when we felt under imminent threat of nuclear attack........1945 to 1989

When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 it felt very strange not to have to live with these subconcious ever present fears.
I felt that a fear burden I had endured all my life had gone -strangely exhilerating

It didn't last long - IRA bombs and suicide bombs put paid to that.

It seems that if we weren't threatened, we are so conditioned to living with it, that we would have to find a source of threat in order to function as normal.