You go from the north of Laos and then you go across the Mekong, and when the Pathet Lao soldiers fire, you do not think about your family, just yourself only. When you are on the other side, you will not be like what you were before ou get through the Mekong. On the other side you cannot say to your wife, I love you more than my life. She saw! You cannot say that anymore! And when you try to restick this thing together is is like putting glue on a broken glass.
The quote reflects the profound personal transformation experienced by individuals facing conflict and trauma. The speaker describes a journey that symbolizes crossing from safety into danger, where immediate survival takes precedence over familial bonds. The emotional weight of such an experience fundamentally alters one's identity and relationships, leaving once-cherished declarations of love hollow and unable to be expressed without pain.
This shift highlights the complexity of human emotions when confronted with violence and loss. The metaphor of broken glass effectively conveys the difficulty of repairing fractured connections and the lingering impact of traumatic experiences. Once a person encounters the brutality of war and the harsh realities of survival, their ability to relate to loved ones changes irreparably, underscoring the deep scars left by such encounters.
