Saturday, November 14, 2015

The Terror of Fear

I remember the first time that I realized that the world could be violent and unpredictable.

After 9-11, I was stripped of the illusion that our government could protect us from enemy attacks on our soil. 

The Boston Marathon bombing cemented that idea.

Yesterday, we learned just how ugly the world can be. Over one hundred young Parisians killed for no good reason--at least those that most civilized people can comprehend.

What is the intended message of the Bataclan concert massacre? I really do not understand how killing random citizens advances the cause of ISIS or Al Qaeda or "lone wolf" terrorists.

What I do know is that although most of us go about our daily, fairly routine lives, others with evil intent have left us expecting the worst.

It could be your city or mine--Las Vegas. We might go the the Smith Center or to see a Cirque du Soleil show and end up dead.

A frightful reality, but one that people around the world share.

Fast forward to 2020: Fear Unleashed

The coronavirus epidemic has forced us to live in a world that once existed only in films.

We are afraid to go outside.
We cover our faces with masks.
We stop going to church, movies, concerts, bars, even schools.
We mistrust our local, state and national governments ability to provide necessary resources to confront the pandemic.
We're cremating the dead bodies of coronavirus victims.
We're divided into two camps: Stop the shutdown! Keep the shutdown but give us more economic assistance.

We really don't know when the end will be in sight.

For once, we've met an enemy that hides in plain sight and can't be killed with conventional weapons.

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