The usual quotidian worries are from time to time interrupted by an almost shocking fearlessness. All fear is suddenly eclipsed by...what? At such moments, one might glimpse—only glimpse, not understand, for true understanding can only come with a different level of exposure to mortal danger—at such moments, one might glimpse the state of mind in which it is preferable to live well (to live with self-endangering, self-disregarding, self‑sacrificing political passion) than to live long.
“Like anybody, I would like to have a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now.” These moments of lucidity are brief, and are glimpsed rather than inhabited. But, lit by the urgent fires of the time, they arrive ever more frequently, and they begin to feature landmarks in the terrain of the mind’s life.