It seems like iskander's account is hellbanned, I think it's one of those rare false positives. Anyway, he replied to your comment:
"On the other hand, seeing violence up close gives you a better understanding of experiences many people outside the affluent west have to deal with. I ran back toward my bus after it blew up in Jerusalem and I mostly don't regret it. I hav been haunted by the experience since (the smell most of all) but I also feel like I gained a lot of sympathy for people whose situations were previously totally abstract to me."
On the other hand, seeing violence up close gives you a better understanding of experiences many people outside the affluent west have to deal with. I ran back toward my bus after it blew up in Jerusalem and I mostly don't regret it. I hav been haunted by the experience since (the smell most of all) but I also feel like I gained a lot of sympathy for people whose situations were previously totally abstract to me.
Advice: I know people with PTSD and believe it is a good thing if you can avoid getting it yourself.
Personally, I can handle blood. But as a Scandinavian, I have a hard time seeing suffering even for a Westerner.