Facing Death

I live in a suburb of Chicago that is quite charming. It is a town full of families, mostly quiet, everyone most people go to Church on Sundays, neighbors know each other...a kind of 'Lake Wobegon' type place, if you're familiar with Garrison Keillor's idyllic town, or Mayberry if Andy Griffith is more your speed. Keillor described Lake Wobegon as a place where "all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average."

Just this morning, we found out that tragedy has once again touched our community - in the form of a car accident, which claimed the life of a 16-year-old girl, with one of her classmates in critical condition. Almost a year ago today, we mourned the death of our close friend's 5-year-old boy. I had seen grief before, but never like that. I had asked God questions before, but never like those. When adults die, we can at least make sense of it - but children?

Nuclear War: A Scenario

Just finished the new book "Nuclear War: A Scenario" by Annie Jacobsen. I would categorize this as 'hypothetical nonfiction' - a very odd category, but hear me out. It is clear that Jacobsen did her research - she interviewed a very wide range of people who have some kind of expertise in nuclear weapons, whether that be former government officials, or experts who helped create and refine these weapons. She interviewed people who have spent large parts of their careers trying to figure out how to formulate policies around the use of these weapons and who have gamed out nuclear war scenarios. To put a point on it, the scenario she presents in this book is based on the very well-informed opinions and expertise of a) people who have studied nuclear weapons and the consequences of their use and b) people who know the kinds of events and interactions that might transpire in the event of a nuclear attack. In other words, the scenario presented is plausible - it's not based on the imagination of Annie Jacobsen, but rather on informed opinions of people who have spent countless hours imagining what this would be like.

In a word, it's terrifying. She meant it to be. It reminded me of a quote from Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast that I'll never forget: