The Most Depressing Scenario

When I was about 9 or 10 years old I saw a special on PBS about nuclear bombs. I remember going to bed that night all depressed. My little league team had finished the season in first place earlier that day and I had just received a nice big trophy, but as I looked at it on my shelf before going to bed I didn't care anymore because I knew that both it and I might be vaporized by morning.

The cold war was still alive and kicking back then. I would always hear quotes in the media that there were enough weapons to destroy the world 64 times over. My fear and depression about atomic bombs gradually lessened over the years especially after the fall of the former Soviet Union. Years ago I started hearing rumors about suitcase type nuclear devices that Russia could not account for. They had supposedly gone missing and nobody knew who's hands they had fallen into. After hearing this and watching several seasons of 24 it got me thinking about this topic again.

I still think nuclear war would be quite the unpleasant event. I wonder what would be worse, having radiation exposure and having all my hair and teeth fall out and developing bleeding sores all over my body or having to shoot my radioactive neighbors when they turn into zombies and come to eat my flesh at night. There just doesn't seem to be a win win situation to this scenario. Even the lucky guys who survive the blast and live in a bomb shelter eating spam and tang will only be able to get their entertainment listening to the BBC news on shortwave radio.

I have decided to be an optimist about this issue and focus my attention on other things. But just in case anyone with bad intentions who just happens to have nuclear weapons may be reading my blog, I would refer you to the age old question... Can't we all just get along?