Terror

Maybe here we should be talking about anticipation of terror. To be clear, the CIA never uses torture, they only use “enhanced interrogation techniques.” These techniques can cause great physical harm but it also includes threats of severe violence and assaults to the individuals and their families. Some are threatened with being brought to the verge of death and back again. Similar tortures (enhanced interrogation techniques) include isolation, sleep deprivation, restricted diets and the list goes on. Sound familiar. How long can a person go on with this kind of terror? Everyone is different.

One thing is for sure. We will all try to escape that prison. Either for short periods of time or hopefully for good. Others will just throw up their hands and say, “I give up.”

This is the terror that we are all living with, the terror that anyone we come close to, could potentially spread something that could kill us. To make matters worse, we can’t see this terror and it might not show its ugly head for 2-14 days. During that time of anticipated horror, we might ourselves become that creature, spreading death to the people around us, our friends and our family, anyone, or everyone we hold dear. Some comment that this is fear mongering. While others recognize it as the truth.

That kind of terror can be paralyzing and yet we go on. We wear a mask. We wash our hands. We socially distance. Yet everyone we see, every surface we touch and everyplace we go, there is a dark, invisible killer lurking and waiting to enter us, causing all kinds of torture including physical and mental, or we could possibly just get a cold. It’s that not knowing, that taking chances, that can be more harmful than a clear and present danger. So what do we do?

Keep the faith, the faith that captivity will end and the cavalry will ride over the ridge and save us. Take pride in your strength to help keep others safe. We are not perfect individuals and it seems some take pride in pointing out other's weaknesses, but this is not what's needed. We need to encourage the strength of knowing what we are doing as a society is making a difference, even though some among us give in to the terror or just choose to ignore it. Let’s be clear, we can’t blame them. Some do not see the bigger good, just the pain and anticipated pain that could be around the next corner if they choose to fight.