Tension in the air

I can't help thinking that the tension that's in the air is a lot to do war people's subconscious terrors about the war and the terrorists.

These things get passed around as subconscious things. In the book/CD "blink", the author talks about how tense police officers accidentally killed the man who they thought was a serial rapist in New York.

When people are anxious, their minds focus so much more and they become blinkered about reality. They stop seeing what's really happening, stop hearing what's really going on, and actually start imagining things that aren't there. Their expectations and beliefs take over, and they literally start seeing things. In that respect, I think that Al Qeada have got things right when they say that they've faily successfully terrorised the west, and London in particular.

On some level, I think we're all aware that Al Qeada have been ruthlessly successful in their campaign, particularly with 9/11 and flying aircraft into the WTC. So what's going on is that we're all thinking that these people really could bring very real and lasting damage to London and the population of any city.

In many respects, that's more real and immediate and terrifying than bombers coming over during WW2. And I really think it's playing itself out in people's lives.

I feel like there's some huge thunderstorm coming. On some level, everybody knows it. They know that something really unpleasant is inevitable, and it's playing itself out in the way people are reacting with each other. It's making people very tense, very angry, very scared.

And it's making people overreact to all manner of things.

Terror makes people react in the strangest ways, sometimes.