Don't mean to sound so depressing, but I had a good dose of reality today.

My Iraqi co-worker came in two hours late. He was heading into work this am, and insurgents stopped the car in front of him and shot the three passengers inside dead. He himself was a passenger in the vehicle he was in, and through the combined efforts of the driver and him, they evaded the ambush. His daily routine is to leave his house, catching a ride with one guy, then change vehicles en route with a different driver, then change one more time. He figures his technique is keeping the insurgents from id'ing him as an employee of an American company.

Today, he was afraid. This is the closest yet he's come to being nailed. He and his buddies are defenseless. All they have is their wits.

Is this the epitome of survival? I dunno, I just know it is more than I could bear, and yet, they have no where to go.