excerpt
“Yes, indeed. It’s terrible, Bevan, yet what do you think could be the cause of
all this?”
The Admiral doesn’t get the chance to answer right away, because the server
brings their plates. When she walks away, Bevan tells Ibrahim that maybe
Matthew’s death had a lot to do with his work. So much time away from home,
away from his wife, from his daughter. “Who knows, perhaps our line of work is
not meant for family people? Most don’t have the ability to cope with the
pressure. They begin to show signs of stress and despair even from their early
days on the job.”
“Yes, perhaps some people don’t have the ability to cope with the pressure,
deadlines, and demands of the system. Then maybe the problem is not the
people. Have you ever thought of that?”
“Yes, my old friend, I have thought of that many times.”
They remain quiet for a while. Ibrahim raises his wine glass and toasts the
Admiral.
“This is to your good health, my old friend.”
“And to yours, Ibrahim. May Allah bless you with many pleasant and healthy
days…Have a good trip back home. Don’t forget I’m here and you may call me
anytime.”
Ibrahim has tears in his eyes, and looking deep into his friend’s eyes, says the
only thing he cares for is his beloved son who lives here. He asks the Admiral to
make sure nobody harms him or puts any impediment in his path.
“As long as I am alive, you can count on that, my dear friend.”
Then Ibrahim leads their conversation back to Matthew’s suicide. In his
view, the problem hasn’t been the pressure; perhaps it isn’t even the people. It’s
the agency and what the operatives are called on to do for the agency. It’s also
what the other side does with the intelligence turned over to them.
“You mean ‘The Circle’?” the Admiral asks.
“Of course it is, my dear friend. Look inside yourself there where the answer
lies. See how you feel about the results of your work. The other guys you work with
are humans, too. The time comes when they crack, because of the guilt, because of
all the anxiety, because of all the killings and destruction they help create. They see
it in the daily news, they hear about it everywhere they go, they know what goes on
when they see the dead or the maimed soldiers coming back home. Don’t think
you are the only one who feels the misery of what you help create all over the
world, my good friend. Perhaps this man collapsed under the same pressure of
guilt and disappointment for all the years of killings and murders.”
“Yes, perhaps that’s where the root of the problem is. That means we need to
do something about it and bring about change.”
Manolis Aligizakis 