Suddenly, an individual’s world can become a swirling, chaotic, endless nightmare. One must feel pandemonium wash over one’s entire life experience, the horror so deep and terrifying that it is like drowning in an inescapable ocean of raw fear. How else can the panic be described? How else can the experience be described; of confronting a mass shooter equipped with semi-automatic weapons and access to a never-ending source of ammunition? Whether the circumstances are the massive Hamas attacks on Israelis or the unhinged, murderous attacks on residents of Lewiston, Maine, the experiences must do enormous emotional damage to the people caught in the terrifying fray. I fully understand the appeal of living life as a recluse. Humans are undeniably dangerous. Some are savages. Monsters disguised as something soft and easy and gentle. Ach!
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And, now, we will leave for a half-day session in which we hope to learn something about the impact of compassion. And other such stuff. Off we go.
