Day 29 and hardly any headway was being made. Each passing second seemed an eternity when in truth a countdown like no other was imminent. 3 nuclear explosives armed in strategic city locations. 6 hours before an entire nation goes up in an ash cloud. With it, the bright hopes for the future extinguished; a legacy confined to the pages of a mere history book. 1 man behind it all, but who stood guilty right before them. 2 special task force agents, Sally and Harry, assigned to break him down. A Herculean feat considering that Omar wasn’t hiding behind a camcorder delivering jihad war cries. He had offered himself up to the CIA deliberately to unmask its inadequacies - his final act of defiance.
Sally had grown accustomed to this scene. Often she found herself asking who the real monster was, Harry or Omar? 28 days later, she concluded that the lines were too faint to distinguish. She detested Harry for his brutality, his failure to see through her vantage point and his arrogant and chauvinistic ways. Having been licensed by the higher authorities to stop at no costs, Harry seemed to revel in her helplessness to discharge him off his duties. From the plucking of every nail on the body to the electric treatment which had permanently damaged Omar’s nervous system, the dunking ,suffocating and the intricate ‘carvings’ on Omar’s body, Sally had witnessed inconceivable degrees of human torture. This latest development was potentially disturbing on an altogether different scale. The CIA had gotten hold of Omar’s wife and kids whom he had hidden away in an unsuspecting village. Now, Harry wanted them hauled into the interrogation chamber as well. Sally’s thoughts were racing wildly and it was impossible to keep calm. Not when there was sheer disdain for basic human rights. ‘How could he?’, she seethed. He was a family man too, married to an ex- POW and having adopted orphans recently. A schizophrenic was at play in large and this time Sally decided there had to be a means to an end. Just not by Harry.
For Harry it was routine. ‘Let us not cross each other’s paths’ never seemed to sit down well with the weak-hearted. The objectives of both agents were alike but methodologies poles apart. As far as Harry was concerned, he usually held the winning hand. Emotional warfare on a hardened terrorist just defied logic and was too time consuming. Sally’s patient ways, to him, displayed signs of weakness. It was a case of nation before self in employing torture tactics and duty had to prevail. Why can’t Sally and her kind just open their minds to the greater good? He certainly did not gain masochistic pleasures from abusing Omar as seen from the frequent toilet breaks to clear up nauseous sensations. Omar was proving to be a personal nemesis, a hard nut to crack and Harry had no intentions of letting up. Inducing pain to Omar’s family right before him, Harry had hoped, would force him to spill out the necessary information. ‘6 hours to go’ he muttered.
Right against Rationale is the underlying cause for conflict between the 2 agents. The diplomatic solution would be to strike a balance but what happens when time becomes a factor and extremities are pushed? In short, is there an amicable solution? If not, to whose way would YOU sway?
(EDITED)
Good grief Vinod...
ReplyDeleteIf there was a prize for the most complex case, you'd win it hands down.
I've read this post at least three separate times, each with the intention of responding; but the scenario is just so...well, difficult.
How does one 'strike a balance' between Right and Rationale in this situation? Is that even possible? Is torture ever justified? (and why am I asking so many questions?)
Argh. I really don't know here. The moral-education-textbook's model answer would be that Sally's right and Harry's wrong. So the one in the right ought to emerge victorious and everyone lives happily ever after.
But yes, there's a reason material like that is solely reserved for primary school textbooks.
Firstly, I doubt Sally and Harry share equal power here. If every nail has disappeared from Omar's body, it sure looks like Harry's been getting his way. Sally's probably pretty scared of him, despite regarding his behaviour as disdainful. Harry, with his 'license to torture', has really become a monster; setting aside his humanity to indulge some primitive perverseness in torturing his prisoner (and soon Omar's family as well), which he then justifies as being 'for the greater good'.
You know, I've come to realise why this is such a hard case. Usually in resolving (regular) interpersonal conflicts, we assume that we're dealing with SANE people; individuals of rational thought and reasoning, with a conscience that they are actually accountable to. Harry seems far from that. Or rather, the situation he has been put under has forced him to take on this unnatural, barbaric behaviour. So alright, not entirely his fault. Nothing Sally can do, and let's not even get to Omar...
Good grief, Vinod!
Hi blogging buddy,
ReplyDeleteIt is ALWAYS a pleasure reading through your entries and constantly being captured by its entertainment value, language use, the unexpected twists. It's like Dan Brown meets Khaled Hosseini, two authors totally unforgettable.:)
Having evaluated this by some intuition, gut feeling and engineer's practicality, I still have no conclusion.
The Intuition says torturing Omar can be tolerable up to the point that Harry can take, but his family should not come into the picture. Well, and then somewhere in the gut, using violence to end violence is still unjustifiable. Yet then again, being practical and logically speaking, a single person's pain in exchange for the city seems slightly comforting.
Actually, I'm just entertaining this thought: in complex cases like this, there really is no absolute truth for interpersonal skills, is there?
-Yanling
Hi Vinod,
ReplyDeleteThis story reminds me of 24, Jack Bauer interrogating someone:) Your approach is different compared to everyone else's.
But in cases like this, if Omar plans for mass murder, Harry should be allowed to continue torturing Omar to find out what he knows. It's either one life or potentially millions dead. Interpersonal skills go out the window.
Wyhow
Hi Vinod,
ReplyDeleteI expected nothing less than interesting when I come to read your blog post, which seem more like a novel rather than "some compulsory assignment" that we have to do (no offense intended Brad).
This is indeed one complex scenario, more than just interpersonal relations involved. After reading a few times, I still don't think I have the solution for it. This is a case of balancing morality and a "necessary job for the greater good of the nation".
Well, it might be a politically correct to say Sally is right, but it is often that conflicts started from some misunderstandings which spiraled down into some international strife. I can't say for sure since I have not been in such a position (and certainly hope I won't be), but I think Sally could try to voice it out to Harry about her discomfort in his way of getting the job done. Being the more patient/kind one, she could try work out an agreement to have some time to find other psychological methods that she is comfortable to resolve the issue, after that, Harry could do his method. Of course, they do not have the luxury of time.
Nevertheless, good job making it an interesting read, despite it being longer than expected. Your use of language is certainly an art, "painting" up such intriguing short novel. Ever thought of being a novelist?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOkay, Vinod, I see you want to meet the challenge of this assignment with fiction. Good idea. (I need a break like this!) The story is well conceived, pertinent and entertaining. I like the character development, the dilemma posed and the time element of bombs ticking away.
ReplyDeleteMay is right though in conjecturing up the idea that in our interpersonal universe we usually assume that we are dealing with sane individuals. Harry, like the professional bomb detonator in the movie "The Hurt Locker," has already reached an atypical level of human capability. In Harry, you have created a man whose sadistic ways are appropriate only because he is dealing with a person who, in his mind (and I suppose thanks to the legal system that's being abrogated) has lost all rights.
But speculations of insanity aside, I guess the real question you're asking is whose method might be most effective, Sally's or Harry's. My guess is that no amount of physical torture -- not even that inflicted on his family -- will sway Omar. He will be happy to be with them in paradise.
So then maybe Sally's approach should be given consideration. The problem is that I'm not really clear as to what she proposes. I only know what she doesn't like. (If you want to carry this story to another venue, you might have to develop that aspect.) As for how the two will settle the issue, I guess in the shadowy world you set here, might makes right.
In any case, I applaud your effort and the creativity.
As for satisfying the grammarian in me, all I can say is "every writer needs an editor":
a) discharge him off his duties >>> ?
b) the plucking of every bodily nail >>> bodily nail?
c) ‘How could he’, she seethed. >>> ‘How could he?' she seethed.
d) Their objectives >>> whose?
e) as proved by >>> ?
f) the next to last paragraph >>> don't let your flair for the rhetoric get in the way of straight-ahead description
Hah! Even editors need editors!
ReplyDeleteconjecturing up the idea >>> conjuring up the idea that OR conjecturing that (but not a hybrid of the two...)
Hi people thanks for all the comments again. I was actually inspired by a show I watched during the holidays which is banned in Singapore. It was the first thing that struck me upon reading the requirements for blog post 2. However after reading through my post again repeatedly and also the ensuing comments, I admit I haven't done much justice to the show; haven't really captured the true essence of the conflict and painted a complete picture of both characters. I'll elaborate as I dissect each of your comments.
ReplyDeleteMay: forgive me for the complexity but the show is rather simple if you happen to catch it and summarising it was a rather tough challenge, which i probably didn't do well enough. Both had equal power just that they didn't have a say in the other's methods. Harry isn't as insane as I portrayed him; he did it more out of a sense of duty. But I do agree its not your average interpersonal conflict which can be solved by mere talking & reasoning which is why I wanted your opinions. And also to put ya'll in a spot to choose between either haha.
YL: You really flatter me too much!! but yea I'm a big fan of Dan Brown and kite runner's lying somewhere in the house. I'll have to read it based on your review. I'm however slightly disappointed that you couldn't come to a conclusion though your thought process was intriguing to say the least. I also disagree that there's no truth for interpersonal skills. There was plenty in the show and it did take its toll on each of them. e.g Harry was getting more frustrated and weakened by his futile torture efforts and there was a number of times he broke down. I didn't mention that and yup the mistake is all mine.
Wyhow: I'm satisfied you took a side; one of the rare few to do so. I don't catch 24 anw so sorry, that comment sounded foreign. But it isn't just torturing of Omar like you mention. Harry actually gave up on that which was why he targeted the family.
Elgin: Far from a novel man. More like an attempt at imitation haha. Novelist? Never. I just don't have the patience. Glad to have made you look forward to reading though. Sally did sound out her discomfort many a times, unfortunately fell on deaf ears. She did try the psychological approach of guilt on Harry anyway and it was working bit by bit, just that she thought otherwise. Complex scenario definitely; exactly why I wanted your take on it. So thanks for that!
ReplyDeleteBrad: Totally agree with the resemblance of Harry as the lead in Hurt Locker. Struck me right after you mentioned and yes he wasn't sadistic by nature and still isn't. Omar however was swayed when they took in his family into the interrogation chamber. It was really nerve tingling that scene. The lights would go off and the children were heard screaming uncontrollably and for the first time in the show, Omar broke down uncontrollably and begged for Harry to stop. He also revealed the locations of the explosives. The twist was that after the CIA unarmed the 3, there was still 1 more that Omar had conveniently kept a secret. The final scene ends with that explosive ticking away. He did have the last laugh in that way. And yes, after you mention I realise I haven't been clear with Sally's methods, psychological mind games actually. Sorry for that. I guess I did compromise on the completeness in that aspect. It was just so hard to balance it with conciseness. Thanks for the feedback anyway.
As for the grammatical errors, I was sincerely hoping someone would point them out. It was looking all too rosy and perfect which I knew wasn't the case. Will start a re-edit soon. Thanks again for that.
Hi Vinod,
ReplyDeleteYour essay is always a pleasurable read. You have tackled in a totally different angle which is good. Your post was clear in delivery. Although a little draggy here and there, but it was done because you want to paint a vivid picture of what is happening. I think you could explain more on Sally's method and less on Harry's method. The whole story relies on what Harry does. The words that you uses are very clear since you command of language is always there. Also, there's a good use of structure of sentence. Long sentence when it's needed and short when the emotion is sudden. I guess apart from the lack of content, the rest is fine.
Regarding your question, when the whole nation is at stake, I will take any way which would get him to open his mouth. Of course, for me, I would prefer non-violent way. The question is will it get him to tell me the location of the bomb. If Sally ask me how about the human rights issue, I would tell her "how about millions of people's rights?" For me, I would make a deal with Sally, I will give her 2 days to get any clues out of him. After that, I will take over and she will not be able to say anything. I think 6 days are too short to psychologically change Omar until he confesses.
That would be my approach. Nevertheless, your essay is very well-written. Although, there is a few logical gaps, the overall essay is fantastic.
Billet