I read a story today called “Of Windows and Doors” by Moshin Hamid. A man and woman form a relationship in a city consumed by war and atrocity. War becomes the daily grind. Opposing factions destroy each other while everyone else continues to try and work, attend class, or simply meet with friends. There are rules on how to be an acceptable person. The rule breakers are mercilessly punished. One man’s throat is slit and his family taken away because they have the wrong last name. The couple decide to flee through one of many door portals that lead to other doors in other parts of the world. The man’s father remains behind to remain in the past. The couple steps ahead into a distant and unfamiliar future in another country.
I’ve also been watching The Walking Dead. People come together to survive a world of constant danger. Many of them die anyway. The goodness in them is eroded after each encounter. The people they meet along the way are sometimes like them, sometimes so much worse. There has to be a distinction. I haven’t caught up to the latest seasons yet, but I wonder how much more they can take. How much worse can things get?