A Surplus and a Scarcity of Friendship

As I continue to read about North Korea, one of the horrors I find among many is the inability to trust anyone. Government-paid snitches are everywhere, in every neighborhood, watching your every move and just waiting for you to slip up. So, if you are smart, you talk to no one and have no friends outside of your immediate family. So many things in North Korea are hard and even fatal, but this inability to trust or to show affection to anyone makes me especially sad. A good friend of mine was hospitalized this week, and I've been to see her every day. I can't imagine not being able to do that, not being able to tangibly show that I care. Once again, I just have to say how very grateful I am for the freedoms we so often take for granted.