Recently, I was reminiscing with a parent about the early days of my first month in my high school.

The beginning of my high school year was interesting. I went to an international boarding school that was a day school (the boarding part of the school program).

Having just got out of military school, I was socially awkward. But nobody seemed to notice.  I stood ramrod straight and walked everywhere like I was still an officer with authority, and people noticed. People came up to me asked where I was from what school I went to, and nobody was surprised I went to military school for middle school. I got the nick-name “Military Man” and with my performance on the rugby field nobody wanted to fight me. I was afraid of no one and never worried about getting into fights (I helped break up a few).When I talked to some school friends after a few years had passed they told me that I was scary in the first days and that I walked like a robot.

Even thought I knew I was socially awkward, I could never tell, in hindsight, why people reacted to me why they did. While I was smart and kept my mouth shut when people praised me or attributed outrageous killing ability to me, I didn’t understand why people responded so favorably, or deferentially, in my first month, let alone week.

Because I stood ramrod straight and walked everywhere like I was still an officer with authority, people noticed. Nobody was surprised that I told them I had gone to military school and the fact that I was afraid of no one permeated the air around me. When I talked to friends after a few years had passed they told me that I was scary.

Now I know why. It is because standing up straight is an Alpha Move. (Hat-Tip: Ian Ironwood).

~Wald