Q&complAints #509 : Reluctant Witness

What is something you would not want to witness?

Post your answer in the LEAVE A COMMENT section below. I’m not the boss of you, though. Don’t write anything for all I care! But I swear–as God is my witness–if you don’t …
questions answers signage

. . .here are my thoughts.

What is something you would not want to witness?

Think about the collapse of that condo in Florida in mid-2021, or the Twin Towers on 09/11.  To me, they’re the same.  Sure, one was a tragic architectural flaw, while the other was an attack on the U.S.  They are both an indiscriminate loss of life.  The condo didn’t care who was in it when it went down, gravity simply dictated that it fall.  The terrorists didn’t care specifically who was in the Towers, they just knew many Americans would die.  But aren’t 2,753 deaths worse than 98?  Yes … and no.  The concept of psychic numbing holds that we don’t care as much about each additional fatality in mass casualty events.  When the condo toll rose from 3 confirmed dead, ultimately to 98, the feeling of dread and sorrow didn’t increase along with each tick of the counter.  If you don’t have a personal connection to an individual who parishes, your brain won’t easily differentiate between deaths 2,222 and 2,223.  At that point, the numbers are little more than statistics.  The same may not hold true for someone witnessing such a disaster first-hand, though.  Here’s hoping I never find out!


Check out ALL previous Q&complAints posts here!

1 thought on “Q&complAints #509 : Reluctant Witness”

Leave a Comment