Lessons Lost

There is always talk of what lessons can we learn from tragedies like the Boston Marathon bombing. There is also talk about what we can do to make ourselves safer. I think that these questions are not bad but I do believe that we try and answer them at the wrong time. We let emotion rule our decisions. We have felt fear, anger, and pain that we understandably never want to feel again. But I think we don’t try and see how much we loose when we ask for safety. We willingly give away freedoms so that we can gain a false sense of safety. If you think about the days that we as a nation have been part of the world and compare that too the number of times we have had a terrorist event. If you run the numbers the actual chances that you would be killed in an attack are slim. I have even heard of a study that says that you are more likely to get killed in a police shooting than a terror attack.

As I have never had to feel first hand the emotions that come from being so close to such events I cannot speak from experience but why could I not speak. I am a citizen and I am affected by the rules and laws that are created after things like Boston and 9/11. I do not enjoy the feeling of being treated like a criminal just for a false sense of safety. I am not talking about small rules made for safety. I work at a theatre and we have rules that prevent people from going places that are dangerous. So I can understand things like airlines locking the cockpit door and only allowing in authorized personnel. I would have actually figured that would have been a rule after the 70’s but who am I.

What I’m talking about when I say that we’re being treated like criminals. I mean things like the random pat downs at airports. The multiple cameras that we are putting into our city centers. The multiple metal detectors that are being put up in  The question that I always will ask is, has any of these things helped actually stop any crime that could have been stopped by using the means we had before new rules where implemented. The problem is that we never really get the statistics on the effectiveness of the laws. I want to know because it is our job to make sure that the government isn’t overstepping their bounds. Recently we have been taking government employees at their word more than we should have to. Again the reason is public safety. I would rather die free than live in a world where I have to prove that I am not a criminal and where I have to prove that I am worthy of that kind of information. Don’t forget that the government is actually supposed to work for us, the people.

So, the lesson is that we need to decide if we want to be free or safe. We can be vigilant and we can be proactive but we don’t have to go to excess. I think that the greatest question that is asked that we need to answer is why? Once we can answer why then we can figure out how to stop these type  things. And sadly as we keep seeing there will always be someone willing to do horrible things. It seems bad to end on something like that but take comfort in how everyone has come together and there still are so many more who have a high respect for human life. We will come together.

I apologize for the disjointed nature of this post but as I said before this is a difficult subject to write on. Thank you for reading.