What’s to Fear?

What are you afraid of? Come on now, you know you have fears. Some are the daily run of the mill sort while others are the gut sucking variety. The latter would usually include having a sudden auto accident in which your life is snuffed out and you will never know how your family will cope with this. Another is an unexpected loss of your job, its income, and the financial problems that will surely follow. Loss of the house is one such consequence you worry about, but so too the inability to keep the utilities running, the food on the table, and the car – how will we live without a car if it gets repossessed?

Another set of fears are pretty routine: the kids, once at school get hurt and it takes too long to get them safely at home, or the doctor’s office, or God forbid, the hospital! But these concerns are easily managed. What about the larger ones?

Such as a mass shooting at the kids’ school, or a bomb detonated at the office building in which you work. A terrorist attack that disrupts our life and our way of life is suddenly much more on our personal radar. Before today it belonged to the people of New York City, or Washington, DC; but now San Bernardino is full in our vision.

In Paris it was a concert venue, sports arena and restaurant. In other cities it has been a train, a bus or two, and now a plane in the Sinai Desert. Israel knows what terrorism is like in its nation. Buses and cars, sidewalk cafes, large night clubs and busy shopping areas. London knows the IRA attacks of the Tube, buses and government buildings.

America is just now getting some experience, and even more worry about terrorism that could easily occur here.

The problem with fear, however, is the unknown expectation that others speak of and reinforce. The terrorists need only cause one or two events before we await more such events and larger ones, too. Then there are people – our own here at home who press the fear into our consciousness. Politicians do this when they want you to be afraid and look at them as the problem solver.  But will they be? The problem solver? I haven’t heard any solutions offered to any problem we have in America. I hear complaints from these same politicians, and I hear them say they will do the opposite of the guy in power now if you elect me to that same office.

I wonder. I wonder if they really think this tactic will work to get them elected. Does their rhetoric make you more fearful? Are you afraid of terrorist attacks, mass murders done by mentally ill people with an arsenal of guns and ammunition? One is foreign terrorism; the other is domestic terrorism. Which is worse? Which is more controllable? Are the solutions the same?

Not very likely. But one is more solvable than the other. Domestic terrorism is solvable through attending to cultural issues, stronger education, perhaps more effective gun control, and better diagnosis of mental illness in the first place. Long term we have to tackle the causes of mental illness; perhaps we can avoid domestic terrorism entirely if we can tap the causes and head off disaster before it occurs. That’s a big question mark in our minds, but still one worth pursuing.

Foreign terrorism, however, is another matter. It is national defense, global involvement, diplomacy and a host of policy formation that will need to be wielded to stem terrorism and build our safety. But who is responsible for doing all of this?

Our hired staff at many levels of government come to mind instantly. The boards and organizations elected to hire and direct these governmental units and their staff also come to mind. Congress is one of those, but now we know they are incapable of doing much of value while they spend all their time on political maneuvers and nonsense. State legislatures also come to mind but many states have state houses in worse disarray than Congress.

Thank God we have very good state police organizations, police departments, sheriff departments, and of course national jewels in the FBI, ATF, and a host of other law enforcement bodies dedicated to keeping the public safe. Homeland Security is another agency that works 24/7 to ensure public safety. These are all professional organizations containing talented professionals. More of the same will continue to ensure we are safe.

International cooperation and collaboration with quick response teams designed to stop terrorists in their tracks, or avoid attacks in the first place, will be needed. All nations are needed to play a role here. This is a very practical and down to earth diplomatic mission. Such missions are now engaged by some nations, America included. So we are not starting from scratch.

But what else needs to be done?  Here are some more ideas to think about:

1. Resolve to focus on the issue, not the ideology
2. Understand religion is not the culprit; the misunderstanding of religion is
3. Seek involvement with people in different religions like yourself to talk about what unites us; what separates us; and why the two are malfunctioning
4. Grow your understanding to others so the larger understanding spreads to millions and billions of others

Then and only then will the planet have a chance to turn away from self-absorbed violence and heal.

We know now that the Crusades were a travesty of justice and theology. I am certain we will know the same about Jihad and our own mistaken retaliation.

December 9, 2015