I am afraid of bees. And skunks.
Actually, what I am afraid of is what happens when I invade their
turf!
I got to thinking about fear after stumbling across a couple
articles on the subject. The articles expounded on the motivating power of
fear. And I began to contemplate how many things do we do out of fear rather
than reason.
Certainly it is rational to leave rattlesnakes and skunks
alone.
But what about other things we do? Do I buy a new car
because I fear my current vehicle is wearing out? Do I send the Republicans
money because I am afraid Obama might get re-elected? (That’s what their fund
raising letter argued.) Do I drive slower because I fear getting a ticket?
Fear can be a good thing. The impetuous for being proactive
is usually driven by fear of the consequences of turning a blind eye to early
warning signs. And my children behaved themselves out of fear of my disciplinary
action. (I am one who believes a spanking is preferable to being hit by a truck when a child ventures into the street.)
But fear can also lead to unwarranted impulsive behavior. A
lot of personal liberties have been sacrificed due to fear of terrorism. How
many shoes have been inspected at airports because of one incident long ago? If
that same level of attention were paid to deaths due to drunk driving, no one
with a drop of alcohol in their blood would ever be able to get behind the wheel. Tell me, how
much Federal spending has been rationalized by the fear of letting a big
inefficient business fail?
And now that I have thought and read about it, I am afraid the stock market is going to crash. A guy on an Internet website said so. So I am going to sell all my investments. Smart, eh?
1 comment:
I read an interesting article not too long ago that basically said the terrorists are winning. It's not because they have been successful in killing people or blowing up buildings. No, the terrorists are winning because fear of them is taking away our freedoms and changing the way we live our lives.
Been to an airport lately? TSA screening goes way beyond being called intrusive, and it's "justified" by concerns that an airplane could (potentially) be hijacked or blown up. But what stops would-be terrorists from setting off their bombs in the crowded areas BEFORE people pass through security? What about subways, bus stops, sports stadiums, concerts, and tourist attractions? All of those, and a whole lot more, have throngs of people packed into crowded areas, so they should be just as much of a target as airlines. Where do you draw the line?
Not only that, if a terrorist really wanted to cause havoc and mayhem, they could easily go for largely unprotected infrastructure: water treatment facilities, electrical substations, dams, bridges, sewers...
You can't tell me that anybody plotting to hijack a plane hasn't thought of these, and a thousand other, potential targets. To be blunt, the threat of terrorism in this country has been blown WAY out of proportion. And our continued military presence in the middle east (and elsewhere!) only makes us more and more hated around the world.
My biggest concern is how much of this fear-mongering is based on incompetence, and how much is actually malicious intent.
Post a Comment