Thanks Jack. I read your post "Do fear and anger share a common root?" which others can find at this link:

http://www.jackdurish.com/4/post/2015/10/helplessness.html

My belief is that our limbic brain responds to what it perceives the situation to be. That part of our brain has protected us and our ancestors for millions of years. Classically, we say that our responses are fight or flight--I think there is a third one--hide.

When we experience helplessness I think we are trying to hide. That was certainly what I was doing when I lay there in bed in that hotel room in Santa Cruz.

When we get angry, I think we are getting into fight mode.

Thankfully, we can sooth our limbic brain and use our cerebral cortex to override our fear response, whatever they may be. Anger, helplessness, or any other of a range of reactions are all normal. Our choice is whether we recognize the fear when it is there and then decide what our response should be. Your example points out that some people's response to the same event can be at polar opposites.