I stumbled across this very short tale by author Dan Simmons hidden away in one of his bloglike posts to reader's on his personal website. It's not a huge work, and unless he publishes it somewhere officially it will probably disappear in the huge void of the internet. But for me it was one of those stories one runs across every now and then that will give you pause. Pause to ponder your life and the events of your day, and pause to wonder about the possible alternate worlds that may lie ahead to come into being, depending on the choices made by those to whom history (fate? destiny?) has given those critical choices.
The story is here. The passage that stick with me is quoted below:
“How are we supposed to know who our enemies are?” I turned and growled at him. “The world is a complex place. Morality is a complex thing.”
“Your enemy is he who will give his life to kill you,” said the Time Traveler. “Your enemies are they that wish you and your children and your grandchildren dead and who are willing to sacrifice themselves, or support those fanatics who will sacrifice themselves, to see you and your institutions destroyed.
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