We Will Always be Afraid of the Dark

*  This reflection builds off of Holly's substantive post from earlier this week (http://andorranatmosphere.blogspot.com/2010/11/do-i-feel-secure.html).

This post was very interesting regarding the matter of fear.  There are the famous, if not trite, words of FDR, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” which cannot be truer regarding terrorism.  Terrorism is an ongoing problem, comparable to disease or crime.  It cannot be suppressed because fear, too, is a natural phenomenon; therefore, as long as fear (which breeds hatred, which breeds violence) exists, there will always be such acts. 

Yet, “If . . . [we] redirect our resources away from sensible programs and future growth, in order to pursue unachievable but politically popular levels of domestic security, then they have won. . . .” (Mueller 17). 

It is funny how (in)security of the nation translates into (in)security of economics, but I suppose that both are closely related.  “Time is money,” and it is the driving force of many of our actions.  It may (sadly) even take dominance over morals.  Yet, even from an economic point of view, we must be wary of our materialism.  As Wolfers noted, security follows the “law of diminishing returns.”  That is, each time we increase security, we sacrifice something else in our society, and eventually, the opportunities of security will not be worth their cost (15).  Consequently, the want for security, like wealth, is never satisfied.

However, we can try to control the inevitable, with categories, labeling, and any actions that will make sense of the world and give us a peace of mind.  I was surprised by the accessibility of the Pentagon, for instance.  On the one hand, it aimed to be more like the Spy Museum than the DIA.  There were large windows, wide hallways, exhibits, a garden (hello, hotdog shack), and a gift shop.  The tourism was rampant, and it seemed like the government was assuring us that their work was justified.  Then, on the other hand, I cannot imagine the employees looking at the glass displays on any given day.  They are too busy constructing their covert and vast tasks into “everyday work,” and it only becomes easier when the corridors are systematically labeled and are lined with commercialized shops.

Is it bad to adapt to chaos?  To construct normalcy?  Happiness?  Not necessarily.  It makes us efficient and literally keeps us sane.  It is just imperative to draw the line between perspective and reality.  Dreams, nightmares, probabilites . . . and truth.  For example, a person of a lower class may be content with his/her life and wealth, but that does not make him/her financially secure.

Sources: 

Mueller’s Simplicity and Spook: Terrorism and the Dynamism of Threat Exaggeration

Wolfers’ National Security as an Ambiguous Symbol