He who kills from afar knows nothing at all about act of killing. He who kills from afar derives no lesson from life or from death; he neither risks nor stains his hands with blood, nor hears the breathing of his adversary, nor reads the fear, courage, or indifference in his eyes. He who kills from afar tests neither his arm, his heart, nor his conscience, nor does he create ghosts that will later haunt him every single night for the rest of his life. He who kills from afar is a knave who commends to others the dirty and terrible task that is his own.
The quote highlights the profound disconnect between distant killing and the intimate reality of taking a life. It suggests that someone who kills from afar lacks true understanding of the act and its emotional weight. They escape the physical and psychological consequences, missing the chance to confront their own fears, morals, and humanity. This distance allows them to remain untainted, without the burdens of guilt or remorse that accompany direct confrontation with death.
The passage critiques the moral cowardice associated with remote violence and those who absolve themselves of responsibility. It implies that true engagement with the act of killing – the visceral experience and its repercussions – is vital to grasping its gravity. The individual who distances themselves from the act is portrayed as a coward, delegating the brutal realities of combat while failing to acknowledge the ghosts they create in the process.
