As a follow up to yesterday’s post titled “To Fear Is Human… and wise,” I would like to offer some advice regarding situational awareness and the need to ignore the “fear” of name calling which has become the go to form of attack by certain people against anyone who does not share their opinions. Some of this editorial will repeat what was written yesterday, but some warnings need to be issued over and over again before people pay attention. Here goes…
After the destruction of the World Trade Center, the FBI asked all Americans to report any activity that appeared out of the norm… activity that could be a threat to our great country and its citizens. I happened to be visiting family in Goodyear, Arizona at that time. My husband and I were staying in a hotel located just a few miles from the largest and most powerful nuclear power plant in this country. We were also just a few miles from Luke Air Force Base.
Returning to our hotel one afternoon, I overheard a very agitated man talking loudly on a public telephone. He was obviously of Middle Eastern descent and had a heavy accent. Although most of his conversation was in what I later learned was Dari, he did speak English when saying “nuclear” and “Luke Air Force Base.” I grew concerned. When he walked away, I saw a piece of paper on the floor below the phone he was using. I picked it up and, using my computer, traced the number to Afghanistan. Dari is the most widely spoken of Afghanistan’s official languages. I immediately called the Phoenix office of the FBI as I was asked to do by the leaders of my country. I was passed from one agent to another until I was finally connected with the head of the Phoenix bureau.
When I told certain friends and acquaintances of my actions, I was accused of overreacting. Actually, I was accused of much more than overreacting. The names I was called were shocking and unjust and, of course, ended whatever relationship I had had with those people prior to these events. Those names did not, however, sway me from repeating the story over and over again in the hope of encouraging other people to report anyone and anything that set their nerves to tingling.
Fast forward to the Boston Marathon bombing. As I wrote in “To Fear is Human,” most journalists took it upon themselves to encourage readers to “… not be afraid” and to “… return to normal life” which, in their opinion, would be a slap in the face to terrorists. This is the same message we are being spoon fed now by the media despite the continued loss of life around the world, especially in Europe and Israel. Truthfully, I have no desire to slap terrorists in the face. I want to eliminate them by whatever means necessary so that we really do NOT need to be afraid. We must stop walking around with our heads in a cloud or buried in the sand pretending that all is right with the world… that people are good and that one day we will all gather around a global campfire, hold hands and sing Kumbaya.
Do not forget: Paris, Nice, Brussels, Berlin, London, Stockholm, Normandy and Barcelona.
We are not immune here at home. Remember: Little Rock, Arkansas; Fort Hood, Texas; Moore, Oklahoma; Queens, New York; Brooklyn, New York; Garland, Texas; San Bernardino, California; Orlando, Florida; St. Cloud, Minnesota; and Columbus, Ohio… just to name a few incidents that were actually reported.
If we, as a society are not yet feeling fear, I shudder to think just how little the lives that have been lost really mean to us. Are our memories so short that we mourn only until the next concert, vacation, or special event beckons us to turn a blind eye to who and what is happening around us?
There is a huge difference between healthy fear and panic. Panic immobilizes. It freezes our brains so that we cannot think beyond the moment. Panic dominates, making reason and logic impossible. Fear, on the other hand, hits us in the pit of our stomachs. It kicks us in the gut. Fear makes us sit up and take notice. Think behavioral profiling which is not the same as profiling based on physical features despite what the name calling contingents in this country want you to believe. Unfortunately, gut instinct is not enough, especially if we have allowed the fear of labels to prevent us from acknowledging the voice in our head and the feeling of queasiness rising up in our throat.
If we are to retain our liberties and freedoms, we must learn the finer points of situational awareness. We must take responsibility for our own safety. No government can protect everyone at all times. We were all born with five senses. Use them when out in public. Sadly, the most important sense… the one which few people seem to have… is common sense. Compensate for that disability by learning the finer skills of noticing what is happening around you.
Become an expert at using ALL of your senses. Do not allow fear of name calling to prevent you from doing what is necessary to protect yourself, your family, your friends and this country.
Donna Carbone is the Executive Director/Playwright in Residence at the Palm Beach Institute for the Entertainment Arts, where education through entertainment is the mission statement. Donna is also a published author. Her books - mostly crime novels based on actual events - are available on amazon.
Please visit: pbinstituteforentertainmentarts.com