Refusing to play with god
The sniper has brought more fear to Washington DC than anything Hollywood
could ever produce
By Tara Ebrahimi
October 15, 2002
The Iranian
On my last night of fall break, I went to see Red
Dragon, the latest film in the Silence of the Lambs series. Two of
my friends and I drove 15 minutes from home to Washington DC to see the movie in
an upscale theatre. We thought it would be a nice change.
For those of you who have not seen it, it is one of the most terrifying movies ever
made. It was rather emotionally draining and caused me to be nervous and a bit alarmed
as we left the theatre.
While walking to the car, my friend stopped in front of a restaurant window and stared
up at the television screen. The TV was tuned to CNN and the headline read "Sniper
Shooting, Falls Church, VA". Falls Church. My grandparents live there. I grew
up there. I had been grocery shopping there earlier that day.
My friends and I walked back to the car and drove home in complete silence. The combination
of the horrifying Red Dragon and the sniper's latest murder in Falls Church
were too much to bear. The CNN headline ran like a movie title in my head. The fear
and confusion caused by the movie and the high anxiety of present realities merged
and made us realize that our own world was a thousand times more appalling than anything
Hollywood could ever create.
Throughout history, there have been evil people who have taken delight in killing
innocents, causing fear in society, and "playing God". Jack the Ripper,
Charles Manson, Osama bin Laden, and now the Sniper. I can just imagine all of them
beaming with glee when they have read the morning paper discussing their latest triumph.
I can hear their laughter. I can see their wide grinned smiles. I can even taste
their victory.
All I can say is that we continue to give them what they want.
A very wise man once said, "There is nothing to fear but fear itself."
How right he was. These sick, depraved people live and thrive on our fear. They bottle
and drink it like the elixir of life. It gives them strength.
But I am done with it. I will no longer aid them in
their conquests. If you live your life in a frightened state, then you are not living
at all. You exist at their mercy. It's difficult to move on from trauma, pain, and
fear. But everyone needs to let it go.
This sniper may kill one more person, or maybe five or a dozen more. In the DC metropolitan
area, many government offices have been closed, events postponed and school days
cancelled. In doing so, we are only showing our fear. We are admitting defeat. We
are telling this killer that he IS God. It is only when we let go of fear that we
come to realize that each person in this world controls his own life and nobody can
take that away.
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