: reckoning

Every time I am ill, I feel I might be ill for an abnormal, prolonged, period of time, I think that I might have been infected by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. And I am terrified. I vividly recall almost fainting, upon reading statistics, and other morbid numbers.

I was reading about Tuberculosis. A month ago I had a tuberculosis test, and the impression was 6mm long. Technically, it should be 0mm.

There are several reasons one’s impression can be more than 0mm. Because one had too many Tuberculosis tests within the last 2 years. Or because the BCG immunization in one’s native country is very intense, and there are still antibodies in one’s system (thus, the test is marginally positive).

Or because one has HIV.

And I am terrified.

Or, for example, when my stomach is upset for a long time, I think that my immune system is down, and that I might have HIV. And I am terrified.

Or, for example, when my nose is runny for more than a few days, and I think that I might have HIV. And I am terrified.

Never have I ever been scared by an Arab-looking person.

Never have I ever been scared by the Orange Department of Homeland Security alert.

And I am very careful about HIV.

And I am also very careful–I always report suspicious looking objects, like wire coil wrapped around two blocks of cheese.

What is terrorism?

I know for sure that my fear of HIV is apparently irrational.

HIV terrorizes few people, and even fewer people talk about it. It actually kills 500k every year (just in the United States).

Terrorism terrorizes millions of people, and everybody talks about it. How many people has terrorism killed the part year?

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Tags: English

This entry was posted on Monday, July 30th, 2007 at 03:31:01 and is filed under English, Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.