I notice I am taking risks with my own security and losing…
““I notice I am taking risks with my own security and losing my sensitivity to danger. I don't know it at the time, but the effects of war are reaching into me in unexpected ways, and I am being changed by them. I am surrounded by destruction and the randomness of death, which I cannot fathom. I have felt the closeness of death as tangibly as the whisper of a murderous seducer, and felt the richness, twinged by guilt, of having escaped its grasp. I have seen too often the numb lost look of men consumed by undiluted grief, and heard the howl of children as their mothers are pulled from the rubble of a rocket-blasted home, and I am coming to understand the long dark pain of those who silently endure what first seems unendurable.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
War’s hidden effects erode personal security, exposing deep grief and altered perception.
In simple terms: War silently reshapes lives.
Recognize unseen war impacts on self.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- counseling
- veteran support
- journalism
- policy making
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does war affect your inner world?
- What supports healing after conflict?
Personal change varies widely.